m 


LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 

710 
Sm5 
cop. 2 

CPLA 

MOTE  STORACgE. 


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LANDSCAPE  GARDENING 


OE, 


PARKS  AND  PLEASURE  GROUNDS. 


PRACTICAL  NOTES 


COUNTRY  RESIDENCES,  VILLAS, 


BY 

CHARLES   H.    J.    SMITH, 

LANUSCATE   GARDENER,    GAKDEM    ARCHITECT,    ETC. 


NOTES    AND    ADDITIONS 
BY   LEWIS   F.   ALLEN, 

Author  of  "  Rural  Architecture,"  &c.    ) 


NEW   YORK: 

C.    M.   SAXTON    &    COMPANY, 

Aqriccltubal  Book  Pcbushbrs,  140  Fcltos  St.  i 

1856. 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1853,  by 

C.  M.  SAXTOX, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  Str.tcs,  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York. 


2- 


T 


REMOTE  STORA«e 


EDITOR'S  PREFACE. 


It  may  appear  superfluous  to  re-edit,  in  the  United  States, 
a  work  of  the  kind  now  presented  to  the  reader :  particularly 
if  it  be  one  of  competent  authority  on  the  subjects  of  which 
it  professes  to  treat.  In  ansvrer  to  this  suggestion  it  may  be 
remarked,  that  scarce  any  European  treatise  on  the  manage- 
ment of  grounds,  the  vegetation  belonging  to  them,  or  the 
structures  to  be  erected  on  them,  can,  in  every  thing,  be  ap- 
phcable  here.  Our  climates  and  soils;  our  trees,  shrubs  and 
plants;  our  habits  and  tastes,  all  differ  in  various  degrees 
from  those  of  Europe,  and  Europeans,  to  which  and  to  whom 
we  ha^'e  hitherto  chiefly  looked  for  example  and  authority  in 
matters  of  this  kind. 

Parks  and  Pleasure-grounds  are  a  part  of  the  "  Institu- 
tions "  of  Great  Britain.  Parks  came  into  England  with 
William  the  Conquerer.  Among  his  first  acts  of  oppression 
and  injustice,  he  laid  waste  of  its  homes,  its  villages,  cottages, 
and  cultivated  fields,  one  of  the  richest  coimties,  to  form  a 
vast  forest  and  hunting-groimd,  for  the  recreation  of  himself 


a,  "i^ii^-^ 


IV  editor'spkeface.  "^ 

and  his  retainers.     His  noblemen  followed  the  royal  example, 
and  a  great  part  of  England  was  parceled  out  into  wide  do- 
mains—  the  spoils  of  the  conquered  Saxons — and  appropri- 
ated to  themselves,  in  ranges  of  park  and  cultivated  lands. 
Hunting  was  theh:  pastime — war,  agricidture  and  legislation 
their  employment.     Thi-ough  succeeding  centuries,  becoming 
more  refined  and  domestic  in  their  pursuits,  they  studied  the 
improvement  and  cultivation  of  their  estates;  and,  retaining 
their  attachment  to  the  soil,  which  they  held  by  hereditaiy 
title,  the  planting  and   preservation  of  their  trees,  and   the 
decoration  of  their  gardens,  became  with  them  a  passion,  as 
well  as  a  duty.     It  is  so  with  their  descendants  in  the  present 
day.      It  has  become  a  national   taste  in  England,  and   has 
spread  into   Scotland   and    Ireland,   until  no  couTitry  in  the 
world  can  equal  Great  Britain  in  the  luxuriance  and  beauty — 
the  costliness  and  splendor  —  the  extent  and  the  wealth  of 
her  Parks  and  Pleasure-grounds.     Few,  indeed,  can  indxdge 
in  such  extent  of  luxury  as  the  parks  of  the  aristocracy  dis- 
play;  yet  the  taste  for  rural  embellishment  extends  among 
all  classes  of  the  people,  from  the  royal  mistress  of  Windsor, 
Osborne,  and  Balmoral,  to  the  humble  cottager  upon  his  mea- 
ger allotment  by  the  hedge-row. 

It  is  not  so  in  America.  We  have  broad  lands,  and  a  pas- 
sion for  lands;  but  not  a  passion  to  improve  and  embellish 
them  for  domestic  occupation,  as  they  have  in  England.  Yet 
we  are  learning  this,  and  we  wish  to  learn  more.     Our  taste. 


\    *  f   ^   J 


editor's    preface.  V 

is  improving.  "We  are  encouraging  skillful  and  ingenious  men, 
who  are  aiding  us  in  forming  our  tastes,  by  their  writings  and 
their  labors.  We  require  practical  treatises,  adapted  to  our 
own  country.  Foreign  books  are  not  sufficient  for  us.  Good, 
many  of  them  are :  suggestive  in  many  things,  and  instruc- 
tive in  others.  The  work  here  presented  has  appeared  to  the 
undersigned  better  suited  to  the  American  inquirer  than  any 
other  which  has  issued  from  a  foreign  press.  It  is  plainh-, 
unambitiously,  sensibly  written,  and  by  a  thoi-oughly  practical 
man.  It  will  do  much  to  instruct  us  in  the  subjects  on  which 
it  discourses,  and  with  suitable  notes  appended,  may,  perhaps, 
be  more  useful  to  the  American  reader  than  without  thenx 
Such  notes  have  been  attempted  by  the  undersigned — whether 
acceptably,  or  not,  is  submitted  to  the  reader. 

LEWIS  F.  ALLEN. 
Buffalo,  August,  1853. 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 


The  design  of  the  following  work  is  aUogether  a  practical 
cue.     While  engaged  in  his  profession,  during  the  last  eigh- 
teen years,  the  author  has  often  been  requested   to  recom- 
mend a  book,  which  might  enable  persons  consulting  him  to 
acquire  some  general  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  Land- 
scape-gardening, and  which  might  aid   them  in  carrying  his 
suggestions  into  effect.     He  has  been  in  the  habit  of  naming 
certain  well-known  works,  such  as   Price   "  On  the  Pictur- 
esque," and  Gilpin  "  On  Landscape-gardening."     He  has  often 
felt,  however,  that  such  advice  was,  in  great  measure,  illusory ; 
and  that  if  implicitly  followed,  it  would  tend  rather  to  puzzle 
than  to  enlighten  or  direct  those  who  might  adopt  it.      He 
himself  had  experienced  the  difficulty  of  making  practical  ap- 
plication of  the  general  reasonings,  and  of  the  diffuse,  and, 
at  times,  irrelevant  discussions  to  be  found  in  some  of  these 
authors ;  and  it  was  only  by  means  of  light  derived  from  his 
own  practice  that  he  was  able  to  put  them  to  profit.     In  the 
work  of  Price,  for  example,  the  leading  precepts  substantially 


author's    preface.  vii 

are:  Study  pictures  —  familiarize  your  taste  with  scenes 
■whicli  painters  would  delight  to  copy  —  become  acquainted 
with  the  elements  of  the  picturesque,  and  seek  to  realize  the 
resulting-ideas  in  and  about  your  residence.  Most  gentlemen 
of  liberal  education  know  something  of  pictures;  but  there 
are  few  who  would  not  disclaim  such  a  special  culture  in 
the  fine  arts,  as  would  fit  them  to  apply  the  principles  of 
painting  to  the  improvement  of  their  grounds.  To  prescribe 
such  a  course  is  virtually  to  require  a  professional  education, 
or  to  impose  the  amateur  labor  of  half  a  lifetime.  The  ob- 
ject of  the  present  work  is  to  preserve  a  plain  and  direct 
method  of  statement,  to  be  intelligible  to  all  who  have  had 
an  ordinary  education,  and  to  give  directions  which,  it  is 
hoped,  will  be  found  to  be  practical  by  those  who  have  an 
adequate  knowledge  of  country  aflfairs. 

The  author  earnestly  disclaims  all  intention  of  detracting 
from  the  acknowledged  merit  of  his  illustrious  predecessors. 
He  has  been  willing  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  Wheatley,  Price  and 
Gilpin.  He  has  learned  much  from  their  writings.  His  aim, 
in  this  volume,  has  been  to  popularize  their  principles,  and  to 
simplify  and  extend  their  processes  in  practice.  He  has,  how- 
ever, sedulously  avoided  those  redundant  and  often  merely  con- 
troversial discussions  by  which  some  of  their  literary  works  are 
encumbered.  At  the  same  time  he  is  convinced  that  Land- 
scape-gardening, like  the  other  fine  arts,  is  of  a  progressive 
nature;   and  that  its  ascertained  principles  compose  a  fabric 


Viii  A  U  T  II  O  R  '  S     P  R  E  F  A  C  E  . 

to  which  successive  writers  have  added,  or  have  yet  »  &.  i, 
each  his  stick  and  his  stone.  He  has  endeavored  to  do  his 
part.  While,  however,  he  has  not  been  inattentive  to  the 
Uterature  of  his  profession,  he  has  looked  even  more  intently 
at  nature ;  he  has  sought  to  draw  directly  from  her  inexhaust- 
ible stores;  and  in  offering  to  the  public  the  results  of  his 
observations,  he  humbly  trusts  that  he  has  contributed  to  the 
progress  of  the  art. 

In  adding  to  his  original  plan  two  chapters  on  the  Arbor- 
etum and  the  Pinetum,  the  author  has  sought  to  supply  a 
want  in  regard  to  ornamental  collections  of  trees,  which  is 
becoming  daily  more  apparent.  So  ftir  as  his  limited  space 
has  allowed,  he  has  endeavored  to  treat  these  subjects  on  the 
principles  both  of  science  and  taste;  and  he  hopes  that  the 
botanical  information,  which  he  has  drawn  from  the  best 
sources,  though  it  may  be  uninteresting  to  the  general  reader, 
will  not  be  unacceptable  to  the  lovers  of  these  pleasing  de- 
partments of  Arboriculture. 

Edinburgh,  August,  1852. 


'r. 
9b 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  HOUSE  AND  OFFICES. 

Introduction — Climate  of  the  site — Soil  and  Subsoil — Drainage — 
Supply  of  Water — Shelter — Position  of  the  House  in  the  Park — 
Elevation  of  the  Site — Extent  of  the  Site — Style  of  the  House — 
Arrangement  of  the  Interior  of  the  House — Conservatory — Stable- 
court  and  Offices,     ,  .  .  .  .  .  .13 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE   APPROACH. 

Definition — Direction  of  the  Approach — Site  of  the  Entrance-gate— 
Style  of  the  Gate  and  Lodge — Line  of  Approach  through  the 
Park — Gates  on  the  Line  of  Approach — Termination  of  the 
Approach — Roadway  of  Approach — Decoration  of  Approach — 
The  Avenue — The  Fine  Approach,  .  .  .  .52 

CHAPTER  III. 

PLEASURE-GROUNDS  AND  FLOWER-GARDENS. 

Position  of  the  Pleasure-grounds — Composition  of  the  Landscape — 
Terraces — Walls — Grass  Slopes — Shrubs  on  Terrace-banks — 
Stairs  on  Terraces — the  Upper  Surface  of  Terraces — The  Flower- 
garden — Site  of  the  Flower-garden — Ground  Color — The  Par- 
terre— The  Rosary — The  American  Garden — The  Mixed  Flower- 
garden — Artistical  Decorations — Rockworks — Shelter  of  the 
Flower-garden — Planting  in  the  Pleasure-grounds — AValks  i.a  the 
Pleasure-grounds — Formation  of  Lawns,    .  .  .  .73 

1* 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV- 

THE  PARK. 

Definition— The  Unity  of  the  Park— Natural  Character  of  the 
Ground— Acquired  Character  of  the  Ground— Planting  in  the 
Park— Surfaces  to  be  Planted— Arrangement  of  Woods  in  the 
Park— a  Group— a  Clump— a  Mass— Carrying  out  the  Arrange- 
ment of  Woods — Grouping  of  Plantations  in  the  Park — Outlines 
of  Plantations— Belts  and  Circles— Artificial  Style— Avenues,     .  105 


CHAPTER  V. 

ORNAMENTAL  CHARACTERS  OF  TREES,  DETACHED  AND 
IN  COMBINATION. 

Introductory  Remarks. 

Sect.  I.  The  forms  of  Single  Trees— Broad  Round-headed  Trees— 
The  Spiry,  Conical,  or  Pyramidal  Configuration — The  Upright  or 
Oblongated — The  Weeping  or  Pendulous. 

Sect.  II.  The  Color  of  Trees— Table  of  the  Colors  of  Foliage  of 
Trees — General  Remarks. 

Sect.  III.  The  Ornamental  Character  of  Trees  in  Combination — 
Conical  or  Pyramidal  Trees— Round-headed  Trees— Intermin- 
gling of  the  different  Forms  and  Colors — Concluding  Remarks,  .  135 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PLANTING. 

Preparation  of  the  Ground — Trenching — Draining — Roads  through 
Plantations— Planting  of  Forest  Trees— Pitting— Pruning — Thin- 
ning—Transplanting Forest  Trees — Planting  and  Transplanting 
of  Evergreens,  .  .  .  .  •  •  .166 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FENCES  OF  THE  PARK  AND  PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

General  Remarks — Boundary  Fence — Internal  Fences — Fence  of  the 
Deer  Park — Pleasure-ground  Fences — Malleable-iron  Fences — 
Sunk  Fences — Stone  Walls — Hedges,        .  .  .  .184 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

WATER. 

Artificial  Lakes — Islands — the  Head  or  Artificial  Embankment — 
Decorative  Accompaniment — Artificial  Rivers — Jet  Fountains — 
Jets  d'Eau — Propriety  of  Introducing  Water,        .  .  ,  191 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  KITCHEN,  FRUIT.  AND  FORCING  GARDENS. 

Introduction— The  Site— Drainage— Soil— The  Form— The  Walls— 
The  Fruit  Garden— The  Forcing  Garden,  ....  20.1 


CHAPTER  X. 
PUBLIC  PARKS  AND  GARDENS. 

Sect.  I.  The  Public  Park — Site  of  the  Public  Park — Laying-out 
of  Public  Pai'ks — Educational  Institutions. 

Sect.  II.  Street  Gardens. 

Sect.  III.  Botanic  Gardens — Special  Purposes  of  Botanical  Gai 
dens — Botanical  Museums — Laying-out  of  the  Botanic  Gardens. 

Sect.  IV.  Gardens  belonging  to  Horticultural  and  Zoological  Socie- 
ties— Gardens  of  Horticultural  Societies — Laying-out  of  Horti- 
cultural Gardens — Horticultural  Museum — Zoological  Gardens,   .  215 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  VILLA. 

Introductory  Remarks. 

Sect.  I.  General  Properties  of  the  Villa — The  Locality — The  Site — 
Roads — Position  of  the  House — Style  and  Arrangement  of  the 
House. 

Sect.  II.  Laying-out  of  the  Grounds  of  a  Villa — Seclusion — The 
Approach — Kitchen-garden — Trees  and  Shrubs — Water — Lead- 
ing Vai'ieties  of  Villa  Scenery — The  Pleasure-ground  Villa — The 
Park  Villa,    .......  255 


Xil  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIL 

GENERAL  OBSERVATIOJfS  ON  THE  LAYING-OUT  AND 
IMPROVEMENT  OF  GROUNDS, 

Landscape-gardening — Analogies  to  Landscape-painting — Com- 
parative Power  over  Materials — Simplicity  and  Multiplicity  of 
Points  of  View — Processes  -wholly  and  partly  Tentative — Pro- 
priety of  Revision — Utility  of  Plans— Hazard  of  Preparatory 
Operations,   .  .  .  •  •  ■  •  •  287 


CHAPTER  Xm. 

THE  ARBORETUM. 

Definition— Recent  Introduction— General  Idea  of  Arrangement— 
Sect.  I.  Scientific  Treatment  of  the  Arboretum — Introductory  Re- 
marks—Dr.  Lindley's  Classification  of  the  Natural  Orders — 
Explanations— Synopsis  of  Orders  and  Genera— Apphcation  of 
Principles— Transference  of  the  System  to  the  Ground. 
Sect.  II.  Decorative  Treatment  of  the  Arboretum— Object  in  View — 
Employment  of  Larger  Trees— Lawns— Surfaces  planted— Ever- 
greens—Arbore  turns  attached  to  Private  Residences— Sites  in 
Pleasure-grotmds.    .  .  ....  3U3 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  PINETUM. 

Remarks  on  Special  Collections  of  Trees— The  Pinetum— Materials 
and  Arrano-ement — Enumeration  of  Sijccics,  with  Observations  on 
the  Groups— Effects  of  Climate— Soil— Early  Cultivation  of  the 
Plants— Planting  of  the  Pinetum— Pruning  of  tlie  Trees— Deco- 
rative Treatment  of  the  Pinetum,    .  .  .  .  .333 


PAKKS  AND  PLEASURE-GROUNDS 


AMERICAN   NOTES 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   HOUSE   AND   OFFICES. 

Inti'oJuction — Climate  of  tbe  Site — Soil  and  Subsoil — Drainage — Sup- 
ply of  Water — Shelter — Position  of  the  House  in  tlie  Park — Elevation 
of  the  Site — Extent  of  the  Site — Style  of  the  House — Arrangement 
of  the  Interior  of  the  House — Consers-atory — Stable  Court  and  Offices. 

The  liouse,  being  the  head-quarters  of  the  family — 
the  capital,  as  it  were,  of  the  park  or  demesne — is  by 
far  the  most  important  object  within  the  grounds,  and, 
as  snch,  the  selection  of  the  site  must  take  precedence 
of  all  other  matters,  whether  it  be  a  castle  or  a  cottage, 
and  whatever  be  its  form  and  construction.  While 
tfiis  ought  to  be  the  dominant  principle  in  the  forma- 
tion of  a  country  residence,  and  while  the  house  should 
be  made  the  central  point,  to  which  all  operations  con- 
nected with  the  laying  out  of  the  park  and  pleasure- 
o-rounds  should  be  referred  ;  tliere  are  certain  require- 
ments belonging  to  a  mansion-house,  as  a  comfortable 
dwelling,  which  must  be  allowed  to  modify  the  final 
choice  of  site  as  the  best  upon  the  whole  world. 


14  PAKKS   a>:d   PLEASURE-GKOL'NDS 

Climate  of  the  Site. — ^The  general  temperature  and 
dryness  of  the  air  liave  a  material  influence  on  the 
health  and  comfort  of  a  farail  j,  and,  therefore,  must  re- 
ceive due  consideration.  These  qualities  resolve  them- 
selves very  much  into  those  of  tlie  park,  and  of  the 
district  in  which  it  is  situated.  Along  the  eastern 
shores  of  the  United  Kingdom,  and  in  the  country  ad- 
jacent to  these,  in  some  places  to  a  considerable  dis- 
tance inland,  the  climate  is  comparatively  dry  and 
good ;  but  in  spring  and  in  the  beginning  of  summer, 
when  cold  withering  winds  from  the  sea  are  prevalent, 
the  east  coast  is  found  to  be  very  trying  to  the  consti- 
tutions of  some  individuals.  On  the  west  coast,  and 
in  the  districts  bordering  on  it,  there  is  a  much  greater 
degree  of  humidity,  which,  though  in  itself  disagree- 
able, is  accompanied  with  a  softness  and  mildness  that 
at  certain  seasons  make  the  climate  pleasant  and  ben- 
eficial to  those  whose  health  is  affected  by  the  rude 
severities  of  the  center  and  the  east.  The  interior  hilly 
or  mountainous  regions  of  our  island  have  a  climate 
peculiar  to  tliemselves ;  yet,  with  a  varying  amount  of 
moisture  and  drjmess,  and  of  cloudy  or  clear  atmos- 
phere, they  are  generally  healthy  and  bracing,  and 
partake  of  the  characters  of  the  east  and  west,  according 
as  they  approach  to  either  coast.  Some  of  the  inland 
and  slightly  hilly  districts  toward  the  east  have  muqji 
of  its  dryness  without  its  peculiar  severity  in  spring, 
and  may,  therefore,  be  accounted  tlie  best.  The  gen- 
eral climate  of  the  park,  then,  may  be  said  to  be  the 
ruling  one  for  the  mansion-house ;  but  in  large,  and 
even  in  what  may  be  considered  small  parks,  there 
are  often  localities  which  have  modifications  peculiar  to 
themselves.     These  variations,  though  inconsiderable 


CLIMATE    OF   THE   SITE.  15 

on  flat  surfaces,  are  sufficiently  marked  on  undulating 
and  hilly  ones.  Southern  exposures  are  decidedly  su- 
perior, in  point  of  warmth,  to  nortljern  slopes,  or  places 
lying  toward  the  east  or  west.  Good  sites  are  found 
in  the  latter  direction,  but  they  are  occasionally  in- 
clement; when  such  positions  are  selected,  they  should 
occupy,  if  possible,  a  western  declivity  on  the  east,  and 
an  eastern  declivity  on  the  west  side  of  the  country. 
High  and  exposed  situations  are  cold,  but  have  a  clear 
and  bracing  atmosphere.  TVindy  positions  are  to  be 
avoided;  as  also  those  which  are  exposed  to  draughts 
of  cold  air,  a  peculiarity  less  apparent  to  slight  inspec- 
tion than  the  other,  but  not  less  disagreeable  and  in- 
jurious in  its  effects.  Aware  of  this,  the  inhabitants 
of  hilly  countries  generally  place  the  ends  of  their 
houses  toward  the  length  of  the  valleys,  as  the  winds, 
for  the  most  part,  sweep  up  and  down  them,  in  what- 
ever direction  they  run ;  and  by  this  arrangement  the 
houses  are  assailed  by  fewer  cross-draughts  than  when 
they  are  set  down  across  the  valley.  In  dry,  well-shel- 
tered localities,  near  the  sea-coast,  these  peculiarities  of 
climate  are  less  frequently  experienced  than  in  more 
inland  regions. 

Note. — Although  written  for  the  humid  climate  of 
the  British  Isles,  these  remarks  are  worthy  of  consider- 
ation in  the  dryer  atmosphere  of  America.  In  many 
localities  of  our  new  states,  owing  to  causes  of  disease, 
which  a  more  extensive  improvement  and  clearing  up 
of  the  countrv  will  abate,  the  best  sites  for  dwellinjrs 
can  not  with  safety  be  occupied.  In  the  older  states 
there  are  districts  still  subject  to  autumnal  fevers, 
chills  and  agues,  chiefly  in  the  vicinity  of  sluggish 
water-courses,  or  undrained  swamps,  or  marshes.     la 


16  PARKS   AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS 

piicb,  the  best  positions  for  a  dwelling  cannot  be  occu- 
pied until  a  more  rapid  flow  of  the  water  be  effected 
by  clearing  the  streams  of  their  obstructions,  and  the 
low  grounds  are  drained  of  their  standing  water.  In 
an  open  country,  long  settled,  and  its  climate  defined, 
every  one  desirous  to  build,  will  readily  ascertain  the 
advantages  or  defects  of  the  site  on  which  he  prefers 
to  erect  his  dwelling.  A  combination  of  objects  usually 
control  the  selection  of  the  site,  and  no  rule  can  be 
laid  down  which  will  govern  in  all  cases.  To  those 
who  have  a  wide  range  of  choice  in  this  particular,  and 
are  not  pressed  for  time,  we  would  suggest  the  erection 
of  a  temporary  cottage  on  one  or  more  sites  which 
please  their  taste,  in  which  a  family  might  be  lodged, 
with  a  thermometer  to  note  the  ranges  of  heat  and 
cold,  and  the  currents  of  wind,  as  they  affect  the  spot 
adversely,  or  otherwise.  We  have  known  instances 
where  an  apparently  well-sheltered  valley,  by  the  pe- 
culiar conformation  of  the  adjacent  hills,  was  swept 
with  stronger  and  harsher  winds  than  an  exposed  prom- 
ontory in  its  immediate  neighborhood.  A  hilly  or 
a  mountainous  region  requires  closer  examination  to 
determine  accurately  the  degrees  of  temperature,  and 
the  currents  of  air  to  which  they  are  exposed,  than  an 
open,  flat  country,  with  nothing  to  break  off  or  interrupt 
the  winds  but  the  occasional  shelter  of  trees.  As  a 
general  rule,  too  much  importance  cannot  be  given  to 
climate  in  the  selection  of  the  grounds  for  a  park,  or 
the  buildings  within  it.  A  mistake  in  this  particular 
may  be  attended  with  the  most  calamitous  results,  not 
only  afiecting  the  amount  of  capital  invested,  but  ex- 
tending even  to  life  it§elf — Ed. 

Soil  and  Subsoil  of  the  Site. — The  nature  of  the 


SOIL    AND    SUBSOIL    OF   THE    SITE.  17 

soil  and  subsoil  of  a  place  have  a  much  greater  influ- 
ence on  its  climate  than  at  first  sight  might  be  sup- 
posed. In  onr  visits  to  country  residences,  we  have 
often  found  remarkable  differences  of  climate,  which 
could  be  assigned  to  no  other  cause.  Those  on  light 
dry  soils  and  subsoils  seemed  cheerful  and  agreeable 
during  winter,  while  others,  in  the  same  district,  with 
wet  soils  and  retentive  subsoils,  were  damp,  muddy, 
and  uncomfortable.  These  diiierences  could  not  fairly 
l>e  attributed  to  diflerences  in  artificial  drainage,  for 
they  were  often  visible  on  the  same  estate,  and  perhaps 
in  the  same  park,  one  field  being  moist  and  slabby, 
and  another  being  dry  and  airy.  A  little  observation 
only  is  required  to  note  these  peculiarities  in  the  various 
localities.  Invalids  are  very  sensible  to  their  influ- 
ences. Those  places  to  which  slight  frosts  are  most 
easily  attracted  will  always  be  found,  if  not  with  wet 
surface  soils,  certainly  with  cold,  retentive,  humid  sub- 
soils. These  evils  are  best  counteracted  by  thorougb 
drainage ;  but  this  remedy  is  not  always  effectual,  or,  to 
be  so,  would  need  to  be  extended  to  a  considerable  range 
of  country.  Where  perfect  drainage  cannot  be  secured, 
no  residence  should  be  formed.  "We  should  even  hesi- 
tate to  recommend  the  erection  of  a  house  on  a  cold 
site,  with  a  tilly  subsoil ;  for,  however  well  drained  the 
surface  may  be,  the  air  in  such  situations  is  commonly 
raw  and  chill. 

Note. — The  above  is  sound  doctrine,  which  cannot 
be  too  closely  studied  by  all  who  build  a  residence  in 
the  country.  We  have  known  spots,  beautiful  in  loca- 
tion, but  so  irreclaimably  unfit  for  a  family  residence, 
that  after  all  the  desired  improvements  had  been  made 
at  a  great  expense  to  fit  it  for  occupation,  it  had  to  be 


18  PAKKS    AND   PLEASUKE-GKOUNDS. 

abandoned.  There  are  other  places,  apparently  as  for- 
hidding  when  in  a  natnral  state,  which  are  susceptible 
of  entire  amelioration  by  draining.  These  can  nsnally 
be  determined  by  a  geological  survey  of  the  grounds, 
and  a  thorough  examination  of  the  kinds  of  tree  and 
shrubbery  which  most  iiiclilie  to  grow  upon  them.  In 
all  cases  of  doubt  of  the  practicability  of  a  thorough 
drainage,  and  a  cojisequent  warmth  and  kindliness  of 
the  soil  for  the  objects  required,  the  proposed  site  for 
the  residence  sliould  at  once  be  abandoned.  The  selec- 
tion and  improvement  of  a  position  which  shall  prove 
imfit  for  a  perfectly  wliolesome  and  satisfactory  resi- 
dence, will  remain  a  source  of  perpetual  annoyance 
and  regret. — Ed. 

Drainage  of  the  Site. — It  is  important  that  the 
site  should  at  least  possess  that  moderate  elevation 
which  will  facilitate  the  drainage,  not  only  of  the 
locality  which  it  immediately  occupies,  but  the  whole 
of  its  environs.  The  lower  apartments  of  the  house 
should  be  made  completely  dry,  and  free  from  the 
effects  of  surface-water  av  neighboring  springs.  Easy 
and  well-concealed  sewerage  from  the  house  and  offices 
is  matter  worthy  of  careful  attention.  Indeed,  the  thor- 
ough drainage,  not  merely  of  the  house  and  grounds, 
but  of  the  park,  and  of  the  whole  estate  commanded 
by  the  windows,  should  be  deemed  indispensable.  Let 
the  reader  imagine  a  house  set  down  on  a  bank  over- 
hanging a  fiat,  marshy  country  of  many  liundred  acres 
in  extent :  nothing  would  be  more  dismal  than  the 
prospect  in  the  first  instance,  and  nothing  might  be 
more  difficult  and  laborious  than  the  subsequent  efforts 
to  improve  it. 

J^Tqi^^ — Any  one  within    the  limits  of  the  Enited 


SUPPLY    OF   "WATER.  19 

States  who  should  seriously  contemplate  building  in 
the  borders  of  an  undralnahle  marsh,  contemplating  to 
use  it  for  a  park  or  pleasure-ground,  would  be  con- 
sidered a  i:)rominent  candidate  for  a  lunatic  as3dum. 
Thanks  to  the  free  range  we  enjoy,  no  such  acts  of  folly 
are  likely  to  occur.  Yet  the  necessit}''  of  a  thorough 
drainage  to  the  site,  and  which,  in  many  desirable  local- 
ities, is  not  at  first  aj^parent,  is  indispensable  to  the 
proper  occupation  of  the  premises.  A  stiff  and  reten- 
tive subsoil,  in  our  dry  American  climate,  is  not  objec- 
•tionable  to  a  building  site,  if  it  have  sufiicient  descent 
to  pass  oif  the  drains  without  hindrance.  We  should 
not  make  it  an  objection,  if,  on  other  accounts,  the 
position  were  advantageous. — Ed. 

Supply  of  AVater. — Water,  in  sufficient  quantity 
and  of  good  qualitj^,  is  another  requisite  which  must 
receive  due  attention  in  determining  the  site  of  a  house. 
Sometimes  an  adequate  su23ply  of  this  necessary  of  life 
is  by  no  means  of  easy  attainment.  Wells,  tanks,  res- 
ervoirs with  pipes,  and  hydraulic  rams,  have  all  been 
resorted  to,  according  as  the  natural  sui'face  of  the  es- 
tate has  allowed  or  compelled  the  employment  of  one 
or  other  of  these.  A  fountain  or  reservoir  above  the 
level  of  the  mansion-house  certainly  deserves  the  pref- 
erence wherever  it  can  be  formed,  though  its  original 
expense  may  be  considerable.  This  plan  affords  the 
greatest  facilities  for  the  introduction  of  water  into  the 
various  apartments  of  the  house  and  offices,  and  for 
yielding  a  sufficient  supply  in  case  of  fire,  a  matter  of 
some  importance  in  regard  to  the  safety  of  the  property. 
An  abundant  reservoir,  placed  as  indicated  above,  will 
provide  Math  water  the  fountains  on  the  terraces,  and 
in  the  flower-gardens  and  pleasure-grounds.     In  some 


20  PARKS   AND   PLEASUKE-GKOUNDS. 

gravelly  subsoils,  even  when  the  surface  is  compara- 
tively dry,  a  considerable  quantity  of  water  may  some- 
times be  found  at  no  great  depth,  and  may  be  obtained 
by  means  of  wells  and  force-pumps;  but  the  supply 
can  hardly  ever  be  so  abundant  as  that  yielded  by  the 
reservoir,  and  the  labor  required  to  raise  it  is  very 
great.  Tlie  hydraulic  ram  is  a  very  useful  instrument 
where  only  a  moderate  quantity  of  water  is  needed.  A 
small  stream,  with  a  few  feet  of  fall,  will  keep  it  in 
operation,  and  will  enable  it  to  raise  the  water  to  a 
tank,  say  on  the  top  of  the  mansion-house,  whence  it 
may  be  distributed  as  required.  We  have,  however, 
seen  it  used,  and,  independently  of  the  price  of  the 
machine,  very  considerable  expense  incurred,  where, 
but  for  inattention  or  ignorance  in  some  quarter,  the 
much  more  efficient  system  described  above  might 
liave  been  successfully  adopted,  with  little  or  no  in- 
crease of  cost. 

JVote. — A  windmill  may  oftentimes  be  substituted 
for  other  machinery  to  raise  water  for  the  supply  of  a 
house  and  grounds  when  a  suitable  site  can  be  ob- 
tained for  its  erection.  It  is  a  cheap  and  simple  struc- 
ture, and  a  pleasing  object  in  the  landscape.  In  some 
parts  of  the  country  they  are  much  used  for  various 
economical  purposes  connected  with  husbandry,  and 
may  be  thus  applied  in  connection  with  the  raising  of 
water  to  supply  fountains  or  reservoirs  in  pleasure- 
grounds. — Ed. 

Shelter. — It  has  already  been  remarked  that  situ- 
ations exposed  to  high  winds  and  cold  draughts  are 
ineligible  for  the  site  of  a  house.  The  proprietor,  how- 
ever, has  sometimes  a  difficult  choice  to  make  between' 
magnificent  distant  views,  which  add  so  much  to  the 


SHELTER.  21 

cheerfulness  of  a  residence,  and  that  warmth  which 
results  from  sufficient  protection,  and  tends  so  much  to 
promote  its  comfort.  Most  likely  he  will  endeavor  to 
compound  the  matter  between  the  two  rival  claims,  and, 
wliile  he  risks  some  degree  of  exposure,  will  seek  to  miti- 
gate it  by  means  of  shelter.  It  is  commonly  found  that 
natural  shelter  is  the  most  effectual.  A  hill,  or  knoll, 
or  low  ridge,  j^articularly  if  covered  with  trees,  is  more 
efficacious  than  a  plantation  on  a  slope  ascending  to 
the  house.  A  slight  change  of  position  will  sometimes 
be  found  to  have,  in  this  respect,  a  noticeable  influence. 
In  an  extensive  park  or  district  of  country,  the  aerial 
currents  generally  affect  a  particular  track,  determined, 
perhaps,  by  a  gap  in  a  line  of  hills,  the  terminating  of 
a  ridge,  or  the  contracting  of  the  sides  of  a  valley  ;  and 
a  small  remove  from  that  tract,  which  may  be  ascer- 
tained by  observation,  may  afford  the  protection  re- 
quired, without  much  sacrifice  of  beauty.  The  site 
should  be  open,  and,  if  natural  shelter  is  not  to  be 
obtained,  recourse  must  be  had  to  planting.  There 
are  few  places,  indeed,  except  in  some  marine  resi- 
dences, in  which  this  expedient  is  not  of  considerable 
value ;  still,  in  exposed  localities,  the  progress  of  wood 
is  slow,  and  one  generation  may  pass  away  before  the 
result  desired  can  be  effectually  secured.  Meanwhile, 
the  builder  of  the  house  may  have  derived  little  benefit 
from  the  trees  which  he  has  planted  and  reared  with 
great  expense.  Even  for  a  marine  residence  the  shel- 
ter of  a  large  rock  or  knoll  is  of  much  consequence. 
For  the  sake  of  a  dry  and  warm  site,  I  should  be  much 
disposed  to  forego  some  other  more  showy  qualities. 

Note. — The  question  of  shelter  depends  somewhat 
on  the  length  of  time,  and  the  season  of  the  year,  in 


22  PAEKS    AXD   PLEASUKE-GKOUNi)S. 

which  the  house  is  to  be  occupied.  For  a  summer 
residence  solely,  the  view  or  scenery  which  the  site 
emhnices  —  other  things  contributing  to  the  conven- 
iences of  access  and  living  —  has  usually  a  controlling 
influence  in  determining  the  question.  Shelter,  there- 
fore, as  the  term  is  understood  by  our  author,  is  not 
of  the  first  importance.  If  the  house  be  built  in  proper 
style,  with  verandas,  and  suitable  yard  and  garden 
walls,  aided  by  the  quickly  growing  trees  and  shrubs, 
with  which  our  country  abounds,  the  question  of  shel- 
ter will  be  readily  accommodated. — Ed. 

Position  of  the  House  in  the  Park. — The  rela- 
tion of  the  mansion-house  to  the  various  points  of  the 
surrounding  domain,  requires  attentive  consideration, 
and  yet  it  is  a  subject  on  which  it  is  difhcult  to  give 
specific  directions.  The  whole  circumstances  con- 
nected with  the  locality,  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and 
the  facilities  of  access,  must  be  taken  into  account. 
We  believe  that  a  site  near  the  center  of  the  park, 
other  things  being  equal,  is  generally  preferred.  Some- 
times necessity  obliges  the  choice  of  one  much  nearer 
the  boundary;  and  such  a  position,  when  well  pro- 
tected from  external  annoyances,  either  by  the  form 
of  the  ground,  or  by  the  intervention  of  a  lake  or  arm 
of  the  sea,  or  by  a  considerable  breadth  of  plantation, 
instead  of  being  a  disadvantage  is  the  reverse,  espe- 
cially when  the  views  from  the  jDublic  rooms,  park- 
ward,  are  by  that  means  extended  both  in  length  and 
breadth.  This  observation,  however,  relates  chiefly  to 
places  of  moderate  size.  In  smaller  parks,  on  account 
of  the  limitation  of  space,  it  is  more  difficult  to  form  a 
fine  piece  of  lawn  or  park  scenery  when  the  house 
assumes  a  central  position ;  and  there  is  generally  a 


POSITION    OF   THE   HOUSE    IN    THE    PAKK.  23 

want  of  that  depth  which  is  attainable  when  it  is  set 
down  near  one  side  or  end  of  the  place.  Excellent 
sites  may  often  be  selc^cted  near  the  shore  of  an  arm 
of  the  sea,  on  the  bank  of  a  lake,  or  in  the  vicinity  of 
a  river,  as  at  these  points,  besides  the  land  scener}',  we 
have  that  life  and  variety  which  water  can  alone  atibrd. 
Tliere  are,  however,  few  rivers  forming  the  boundaries 
of  estates  of  sufficient  breadth  to  allow  the  house  to  be 
erected  close  to  their  banks.  Besides  the  risk  of  inun- 
dation and  of  damp  vapor,  which  is  incident  to  low 
situations,  there  is  always  the  possibility  of  discordant 
or  offensive  objects  being  erected  on  the  opposite  side. 
Note. — The  objection  to  the  narrowness  of  the  rivers 
in  Great  ^Britain  is  vrell  made  ;  but  not  so  in  America. 
The  St.  Lawrence,  Niagara,  Detroit,  St.  Clair,  the 
Ohio,  Mississippi,  the  Connecticut,  Hudson,  Delaware, 
Susquehannah,  Potomac,  and  an  hundred  others  of  our 
broad  rivers,  afford  the  finest  possible  sites  for  dwellings, 
in  many  instances  on  their  immediate  banks,  where 
they  are  of  sufficient  width  to  render  "  discordant  or 
offensive  objects  on  the  opposite  side  "  so  indistinct  or 
innocuous,  as  to  form  no  serious  objection  to  improving 
them  for  park  or  villa  residences.  A  site  on  the  ira- 
mediate  bank  of  a  broad  stream,  or  bay,  or  lake,  will 
seldom  be  chosen,  excepting  in  a  level  country,  where 
the  house  would,  if  placed  at  a  distance  back,  not 
command  it,  and  where  the  banks  are  of  sufficient 
elevation  to  be  out  of  the  reach  of  floods.  Water,  in 
connection  with  landscape  scenery  generally,  is  more 
effective  when  seen  from  a  moderate  distance,  than 
when  it  makes  the  immediate  foreground  of  the  pic- 
ture. This,  however,  will  depend  much  on  the  breadth 
of  surface  which  the  water  occupies,  and  whether  it 


24:  PARKS    AND    rLKASURP>GKOUNDS. 

forms  11  part  of  the  icliole  landscape,  or  a  part  only  of 
onC'  of  the  views  from  the  dwelling,  when  such  dwelling 
commands  a  separate  view  from  its  different  fronts. 
The  snhject  of  the  landscape  which  is  to  be  embraced 
in  the  single,  or  in  the  several  views  of  a  residence, 
cannot  be  too  closely  nor  too  intimately  studied,  before 
determining  the  site  for  the  buildings. 

It  may  be  remarked  in  this  coimection,  that  as  no 
landscape  view  can  be  complete  without  water,  it 
should,  when  it  can  be  embraced  in  the  view,  always 
find  a  place,  far  or  near,  as  circumstances  may  con- 
trol. Minor  objects  in  wood,  buildings,  or  extent  of 
country,  may  be  discarded  for  the  advantage  of  a  grand 
view  of  the  water.  Indeed,  we  know  of  no  sensation 
suddenly  breaking  on  the  mind  like  that  of  a  fine 
water  view  wdien  we  have  been  long  pent  up  among 
woods  and  grass  alone,  however  picturesque  and  beau- 
tiful they  may  be.  It  expands  the  heart,  exhilarates 
the  spirits,  and  stirs  the  soul  as  no  other  natural  object 
can  do ;  and — although  from  being  long  accustomed 
to  it  we  may  be  over-partial — we  would  not  forego  the 
daily  spectacle  of  a  broad  sheet  of  moving,  living  water, 
for  all  the  petty  artificial  gettings-up  of  all  the  ai'tistio 
gardeners  in  the  universe. — Ed. 

A  more  elevated  position,  even  though  it  may  be 
near  some  public  road,  will  probably  command  equally 
fine  views  of  the  river,  and  at  the  same  time  be  more 
free  from  intrusion,  than  any  of  those  lower  down.  We 
may  add,  that  certain  baronial  residences,  and  some 
of  them  of  no  small  splendor,  are  occasionally  seen 
Btanding  on  the  side  of  street  or  road,  having  been 
erected  there  because  they  w^ere  places  of  strength  in 
ancient  times.     Such  remains  of  the  old  feudal  glories 


ELEVATION    OF   THE    SITE.  25 

^vc  should  be  sorry  to  see  removed  from  wliere  they 
are;  but  simihir  situations  are  now  seldom  or  never 
adopted  for  new  residences. 

Note. — At  the  risk  of  being  prolix  on  this  subject, 
we  must  be  permitted  to  enter  a  protest  on  the  charac- 
teristic tendency  of  Americans  to  place  their  country 
establishments  in  close  proximity  to  tlie  highway  or 
public  road.  A  prominent  object  in  the  enjoyment  of 
a  country  residence,  is  retirement  —  shutting  ourselves 
from  the  gaze  and  remark  of  the  passing  world,  and 
enabling  us  to  take  our  own  pleasure  in  our  own  way. 
A  familiar  connection  with  the  public  road,  therefore, 
should  alwa^^s  be  avoided ;  while  the  park,  ,and  the 
buildings  within  it,  should  still  be  at  a  reasonably  con- 
venient distance  for  the  necessary  purposes  of  living. 
A  suburban  villa,  simply,  may  look  out  npon  the  pub- 
lic street  in  front,  and  at  a  few  rods  distance  from  it; 
but  a  proper  country-house,  with  extensive  grounds 
around  it,  appropriated  for  the  use  and  convenience  of 
its  occupants,  should  shun  all  such  familiar  contact. 
In  fact,  no  family,  not  possessing  within  themselves 
resources  of  mind,  and  books,  sufHcient  to  keep  them 
from  yearning  after  the  idle  gossip  of  a  village  neigh- 
borhood, should  ever  think  of  living  in  a  "park,"  or 
away  from  the  daily  intercourse  of  a  pedlers  cart,  or 
the  interesting  spectacle  of  a  passing  drove  of  cattle, 
sheep,  or  turkeys. — Ed. 

Elevation  of  the  Site. —  The  house  should  be 
placed  on  ground  moderately  elevated,  of  easy  access, 
and  commanding  some  of  the  best  vicM-s  of  the 
park  and  the  surrounding  scenery.  The  expression, 
"ground  moderately  elevated,"  applies  more  to  an 
undulating  country,  than  to  a  level  tract,  or  to  a  hillv 


26  PARKS    AND    rLEASUnE-GROrNDS. 

or  liiountainous  region.  In  a  low,  level,  and  well- 
wooded  country,  the  effect  of  the  mansion  from  with- 
out, and  more  particularly  the  views  from  it,  would  be 
entirely  lost  were  it  not  built  in  the  highest  position  to 
be  found  within  the  park.  In  a  hill  country,  again,  a 
comparatively  ''moderate  elevation"'  would  probably 
place  the  house  among  the  mists  and  clouds,  whereas 
it  might  be  secured  from  these,  or  at  least  have  the 
most  favorable  station  in  the  district,  by  occupying 
the  iirst  or  second  of  the  lowest  platforms  of  the  valley 
in  which  it  stands. 

jS^oie. — Happily,  in  the  United  States,  we  possess 
all  possible  varieties  of  elevation  which  the  foncy  of 
those  seeking  park  residences  may  demand,  on  which 
to  indulge  their  preference.  Our  Atlantic  states,  from 
Maine  to  Florida,  abound  with  those  embracing  beauty, 
picturesqueness  and  grandeur,  of  themselves  alone,  or 
in  varied  combination  in  their  most  pleasing  forms. 
And  in  the  broad  agricultural  states  of  the  west,  there 
are  natural  parks,  of  an  extent  and  beauty  rarely 
equaled,  and  nowhere  surpassed,  clothed  with  the 
noblest  trees,  in  dense  forest  or  in  open  glades,  mean- 
dered by  pleasant  streams.  These,  to  the  eye  of  taste, 
present  the  finest  features  for  the  indulgence  of  an  incli- 
nation to  appropriate  them  to  the  most  luxuriant  parks 
and  pleasure-grounds  that  can  be  imagined. — Ed. 

Extent  of  the  Site. — On  undulating  or  hilly  surfaces 
the  site  selected  for  the  house  should  always  be  of  suf- 
ficient extent,  not  only  to  contain  the  v/hole  of  its 
buildings,  but  also  to  afford  ample  space  for  the  roads, 
and  room  for  carriages  turning  at  the  etitrance,  to- 
gether with  a  broad  walk  and  terrace  on  the  drawing- 
room  front.     Inattention  to  these  requisites  will  often 


EXTENT   OF   THE   SITE.  27 

lead  to  great  subsequent  expense  and  inconvenience. 
We  have  seen  a  line  mansion  so  j^ut  down  between 
two  steep  banks  that  at  its  entrance  there  was  scarcely 
room  to  turn  a  donkey-cart,  if  we  may  be  permitted  to 
employ  a  familiar  but  undignified  comparison.  At  the 
same  time,  the  garden  front  was  such  that  it  required 
a  thick  wall,  reared  up  from  a  considerable  depth  be- 
low, to  form  a  walk  a  few  yards  wide,  in  front  of  a 
pile  of  buildings  which  would  grace  a  terrace  of  mag- 
nificent dimensions.  Such  an  error,  if  we  may  pre- 
sume to  call  it  one,  was  rendered  excusable,  or  at  least 
was  accounted  for,  by  the  circumstance  that  it  was  the 
site  of  an  ancient  ancestral  castle  that  was  thus  oc- 
cupied. AVe  cannot  wonder  that  old  feudal  associations 
and  family  recollections  should  lead  "  afar  descended" 
proprietors  to  cleave  to  some  particular  spot  as  their 
time-hallowed  homestead.  Still,  we  sometimes  think 
that  there  is  bad.  economy  of  cherished  memories  in 
thus  enveloping  and  concealing  the  old  with  the  new. 
If  an  eligible  site  were  to  be  found  in  the  vicinity,  we 
should  rather  have  chosen  that  for  the  house,  and  have 
left  the  ruin  in  its  own  inherent  dignity  :  —  so  would 
there  have  been  two  objects  of  interest  instead  of  one; 
and  the  fragment  of  departed  grandeur  would  have 
"spoken  directly  to  the  eye,  and  not  have  been  beholden 
to  the  imperfect  medium  of  words  for  the  occasional 
telling  of  its  history  Of  course,  the  same  excuse  can- 
not be  made  for  error  committed  in  the  erection  of  a 
new  mansion,  or  in  the  rebuilding  of  one  of  little  his- 
torical or  family  importance:  and  yet  a  picturesque 
view  will  sometimes  seduce  a  man  to  set  down  a  house 
on  a  narrow  pinnacle,  where  there  is  scarcely  room 
for  a  dovecot.      Want  of  judgment  like  this  is  not 


28  PARKS    AND    rLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

unwortliilj  repaid  by  subsequent  expense  and  incon- 
venience. 

Note. — More  truth  could  scarcely  be  condensed  into 
the  same  number  of  lines  than  our  author  has  here 
written.  Fortunately,  for  the  exercise  of  a  correct 
taste  in  such  Americans  as  have  the  inclination  and 
means  to  indulge  in  the  recreation  of  park  building, 
they  have  no  '*  feudal  associations  ;"  and,  perhaps  less 
fortunately  —  for  we  individually  confess  to  no  incon- 
siderable degree  of  respect  for  family  antecedents  of 
the  right  kind  —  as  a  people,  not  a  superabundance  of 
''  family  recollections"  to  lead  us  into  the  absurdities 
against  which  he  warns  us.  We  are,  therefore,  left 
with  few  prejudices  or  partialities  to  warp  our  judg- 
ment in  the  situation  of  proper  sites  for  our  country 
homes.  The  want  of  proper  education  on  the  subject, 
and  a  lack  of  natural  taste,  are  more  frequent  obstacles 
in  the  way  of  a  choice  of  the  best  ground  to  appro- 
priate to  objects  of  luxury.  Koom  enough  in  a  country 
of  cheap  land,  like  ours,  should  be  the  first  item  of 
consideration  with  those  who  set  about  selecting  a  site 
for  a  house  out  of  town  ;  and  for  the  lack  of  that,  to 
one  who  has  the  means  to  build  at  all,  there  can  be  no 
apology. — Ed. 

Style  of  the  House. — This  is  a  matter  which,  in  all 
its  bearings,  does  not  come  within  our  province.  The 
rank,  the  fortune,  and  the  taste  of  the  proprietor,  are 
all  entitled  to  be  consulted,  and  to  have  their  weight 
in  its  determination.  Still,  it  is  universally  conceded 
that  the  style  of  the  house  should  have  some  adapta- 
tion to  its  site,  and  to  the  character  of  the  scenery  by 
which  it  is  surrounded.  Much  has  been  written  on  the 
subject,  and  much  has  been  said  about  one  style  for 


STYLE   OF  THE    HOUSE.  29 

the  beautiful,  another  for  the  picturesque,  and  yet 
another  for  the  romantic.  We  confess  ourselves  un- 
romautic  enough  to  think  that  a  comfortably  arranged 
interior  is  of  greater  moment  to  the  proprietor  than  the 
finest  exterior  can  possibly  be.  At  the  same  time,  a 
good  external  appearance  is  not  a  matter  of  trifling 
importance,  nor  is  it  incompatible  with  a  good  internal 
arrangement.  A  proprietor  of  refined  taste  will  natu- 
rally wish  that  his  house  should  unite  both  of  these 
desirable  qualities,  and  at  the  same  time  that  it  should 
be  properly  adapted  to  its  site  and  position  in  the 
park.  Before  beginning  to  build,  it  is  well  to  consider 
what  style  is  best  suited  to  the  locality.  Undoubtedly, 
the  style  should  be  selected  for  that  site  which  on 
general  grounds  is  considered  the  best,  rather  than  that 
a  site  inconvenient  in  itself  should  be  inconsiderately 
chosen,  on  account  of  some  fancied  adaptation  to  a 
particular  style  of  house.  It  appears  incongruous,  we 
might  almost  say  absurd,  to  place  a  street-looking 
house  in  a  highland  glen,  or  a  castellated  mansion  on 
a  plain  as  flat  as  a  bowling-green.  Such  mistakes  are 
not  unfrequent.  We  may  add,  that  the  external  ap- 
pearance should  have  such  a  relation  to  the  internal 
arrangements  that  the  spectator  on  the  outside  should 
have  no  room  for  mistake  as  to  which  is  the  entrance 
front,  which  the  drawing-room  side,  and  what  portion 
of  it  is  occupied  by  the  ofiices  and  inferior  apartments. 
The  public  rooms  should  have  some  external  indica- 
tion, if  not  of  their  individual  use,  at  least  of  their 
general  purpose.  To  the  improver  of  the  park  and 
pleasure-grounds,  the  external  appearance  of  the  house 
is  always  a  matter  of  great  interest,  as  the  house  is  the 
central  point  to  which  all  his  operations  are  referred, 


50  PARKS   AXD    PLEASURE-GKOr;;DS. 

and  from  which  they  take,  as  it  were,  their  color.  A 
beautiful  and  well  arranged  group  of  buildings  con- 
stituting the  mansion-house,  create  an  interest  in  his 
mind  suggesting  felicitous  ideas,  and  stimulate  him  to 
overcome  difiSculties,  M'hile  a  bald  and  shapeless  mass 
of  brick  or  stone  contains  few^  or  no  elements  of  inspi- 
ration. In  regard  to  the  former,  his  delight  will  be  to 
bring  out  and  heighten  the  features  of  beauty  ;  in  the 
latter  case,  lie  will  make  it  his  duty,  so  far  as  it  is  in 
his  power,  to  diminish  or  relieve  the  actual  inferiority 
which  unhappily  exists. 

Is'ote. — For  a  more  systematic  understanding  of  the 
subject,  we  regret  that  our  author  had  not  postponed 
the  discussion  of  the  "Style  of  the  House"  until  after 
he  had  disposed  of  the  "  Pleasure  Grounds"  and 
"  Parks, "  which  comprise  the  next  two  chapters. 
These  being  discussed  and  understood  in  their  several 
aspects,  the  "  House"  would  more  naturally  follow,  in 
its  appropriate  style  and  arrangement,  in  keeping  with 
the  grounds  w^hich  are  to  embrace  it.  In  other  words, 
a  house  can  be  much  better  fitted  to  the  park,  than  the 
various  features  of  the  park  can  be  moulded  to  fit  the 
house,  let  its  style,  in  itself  considered,  be  ever  so  in- 
viting. Parks,  in  America,  have,  practically,  a  some- 
what different  signification  than  they  have  in  England. 
In  England,  almost  every  landed  proprietor  who  in- 
dulges in  the  luxury  of  a  park,  has  a  large  agricul- 
tural estate  adjoining,  usually  farmed  by  tenants, 
together  with  a  home  farm  of  more  or  less  extent,  for 
the  accommodation  of  his  household,  and  to  which  the 
park  is  an  object  of  Qonvenience,  in  grazing  his  herds, 
at  the  same  time  that  it  ministers  to  the  gratification 
of  his  tastes   and   his   luxury.     Such  appropriations 


STYLE   OF   TnE   HOUSE.  31 

of  large  tracts  of  ground  are  not  common  in  a  waste 
region,  and  the  finest  parks  are  found  in  the  most  highh'- 
cultivated  counties.  The  buildings  which  decorate 
these  ground-s  are  usually  of  great  extent,  in  elaborate 
styles  of  architecture,  and  cost  sums  in  the  construction 
at  which  even  our  richest  Americans  would  shrink  in 
the  contemplation.  But  the  park-building  Englishman 
builds  for  himself  and  his  posterity  to  inhabit.  The 
American,  although  he  may  fancy,  or  flatter  himself, 
that  he  builds  for  the  same  purpose,  in  a  great  majority 
of  cases,  after  a  few  years  of  possession,  either  willingly 
alienates  it  into  the  hands  of  a  stranger,  or,  eiijoying  it 
for  the  term  of  his  own  life,  his  heirs  usually  expedite 
that  transaction  in  as  brief  a  space  of  time  after  his  de- 
mise as  the  forms  of  law  will  admit.  In  his  design, 
the  laws  of  entail  fortify  the  Englishman.  He  is  already 
in  possession  of  a  hereditary  estate,  which  has  been  for 
generations  or  centuries  in  the  family,  and  he  builds 
and  improves  with  a  knowledge  that,  in  the  usual  cur- 
rent of  events,  it  will  continue  so  to  descend.  Or,  if  he 
buy  a  j)ark  and  build  his  mansion,  he  intends  to  found 
an  estate  which  is  to  remain  in  his  posterity,  or  in  the 
collateral  branches  of  his  family,  with  a  reasonable  ex- 
pectation that  they  will  occupy  it  for  generations  suc- 
ceeding him.  In  our  country,  the  laws,  contemplating 
the  subdivision  of  any  estate  belonging  to  the  head  of 
a  family,  perpetually  admonish  him  to  a  limited  ex- 
penditure in  so  costlj^  a  luxury,  which,  if  he  be  a  sen- 
sible and  a  prudent  man,  he  will  continually  bear  in 
mind.  Under  such  considerations,  therefore,  England, 
the  country  from  which  our  fancies  and  tastes  are  mostly 
copied  in  subjects  of  this  kind,  although  wortliy  of 
consideration  in  manv  features  of  imitation,  is  not,  in 


32  PARKS    AND    PLEASURE-CaiOUNDS. 

the  extent  and  costliness  of  her  parks  and  houses,  a 
safe  example  for  the  American  to  follow. 

The  style  of  the  house  for  the  American  park,  may 
be  considered  with  us  in  two  different  lights  :  the 
first  as  appertaining  to  the  agricultural  proprietor,  the 
second  as  devoted  to  country  leisure  and  luxury  alone. 
In  the  agricultural  states,  comprising  tiiose  lying  south, 
west,  and  norin-west  of  Pennsylvania,  the  extent  of 
land  cultivated  and  occupied  by  many  individuals,  will 
permit  them  to  appropriate  a  sufficient  space  to  park 
purposes  to  gratify  a  very  considerable  ambition,  while 
it  may  remain  devoted  to  economical  uses,  and  at  the 
same  time  afford  the  finest  scope  for  a  display  of  good 
taste  in  landscajDe  gardening  and  building.  Such  pro- 
prietors are  usually  the  managers  of  their  own  estates, 
and  reside  upon  them,  if  not  permanently,  at  least  for 
several  months  of  the  year.  These  are  their  homes  — 
their  places  of  business.  Their  habitations  are  for  their 
business  convenience  as  well  as  for  domestic  life,  and 
should  be  made  altogether  for  everyday  purposes. 
Choosing,  therefore,  to  reside  in  a  park  —  and  which 
they  may  do  with  equal  convenience  to  the  manage- 
ment of  their  estates  as  if  huddled  into  close  proximity 
to  their  cattle-yards  or  their  laborers'  cpiarters  —  they 
should  consult  a  due  propriety  and  style  of  building, 
within  the  limits  which  prudence  in  the  outlay  will 
admit,  as  much  as  the  richer  man  of  the  city  who  en- 
joys his  park  and  pleasure-grounds  for  the  purpose  of 
luxury,  and  lavishes  upon  them  a  much  larger  sum 
for  the  gratification  of  his  taste  or  the  display  of  his 
wealth. 

In  considering  the  first  part  of  the  subject,  although 
it  may  be  a  fancy,  there  is  a  fitness  in  the  structure 


STYLE   OE   TUE   HOUSE.  33 

of  a  house,  somewhat  comporting  with  the  gromid  fea- 
tures of  the  country  by  which  it  is  surrounded,  A 
mountainous  evergreen,  or  a  hilly  region  in  a  northern 
climate,  would  naturally  suggest  a  strong-walled  house, 
with  a  steep  and  sheltering  roof  to  protect  it  from 
heavy  snows,  and  give  it  warmth,  as  in  the  Swiss  or 
Anglo-Italian  styles,  if  placed  on  an  eminence  over- 
loohing  a  wide  tract  of  country ;  or  in  the  old  English 
cottage  style  with  high  gables,  in  a  valley  protected 
by  high  hills,  and  sheltered  by  woods.  If  in  a  plain, 
or  an  undulating  country,  a  wider  choice  of  style 
may  be  indulged,  as  the  more  open  Italian,  or  the 
modern  pointed  Gothic ;  or  inclining  to  the  A^ene- 
tian,  and  low  Italian,  with  broad  verandas  in  both, 
as  their  localities  extend  further  south.  For  the  ISTor- 
man,  Tudor,  and  Elizabethan  styles,  as  they  are 
severally  termed,  we  have  less  attachment,  being 
too  suo-orestive  of  fortification,  and  defense,  for  which 
people  of  the  present  day  have  no  use.  The  indul- 
gence of  these  styles  with  the  architects  of  our  own 
time,  frequently  run  into  all  sorts  of  absurdities  in  the 
accumulation  of  buttresses,  gables,  turrets,  and  end- 
less conceits  that  lower  the  true  dignity  of  the  house, 
and  make  them  more  to  resemble  a  costly  toy  than  a 
sensible,  comfortable  dwelling.  Aside  from  such  draw- 
backs, we  cannot  with  propriety  copy  the  proportions 
and  parts  of  the  foreign  structures  vv'hich  are  presented 
to  us  in  those  elaborate  styles.  In  adapting  them  to 
our  use,  they  should  be  Americanized.,  if  such  a  word 
may  be  permitted,  into  a  fitness  to  our  circumstances, 
as  being  different  from  the  people  of  any  country  abroad. 
They  should  be  plain  in  the  exterior,  and  simple  in 
their   composition,    with   every    convenience    that    is 


34  TARKS   AND    I'LEASUEE-GROUNDS. 

required  where  the  inmates  of  a  family,  save  in  the 
southern  states,  have  to  rely  much  more  on  them- 
selves, than  in  countries  where  society  is  divided  into 
such  castes  as  compel  one  portion  of  the  population 
to  serve  the  other,  of  necessity,  and  where  such  service 
can  be  readily  commanded. 

In  regard  to  the  material  of  which  the  house  should 
be  constructed,  there  is  a  manifest  propriety  in  using 
that  which  most  abounds  in  the  vicinity,  if  it  be  of  a 
proper  kind.  In  a  region  affording  good  stone,  being 
convenient,  durable  and  cheap,  nothing  can  be  more 
appropriate.  In  the  absence  of  stone,  and  good  clay  in 
abundance,  bricks  stand  next  in  durability  and  cheap- 
ness—  a  fitting  material  always  ;  while  in  lumber  dis- 
tricts, abounding  in  a  choice  of  woods,  they  may  be 
applied  to  the  construction  of  houses  for  all  purposes, 
and  in  desirable  varieties  of  style. 

Situated  in  a  park,  or  elsewhere,  a  house  should  ex- 
press in  its  external  appearance  its  chief  purpose  of 
occupation.  For  summer  resort  only,  it  may  be  open, 
light,  showy,  and  shadowy.  It  may  be  relieved  of 
some  appendances  which  are  indispensable  in  a  winter 
dwelling.  It  may  indulge  in  more  outward  ornament, 
and  wear  a  less  substantial  look ;  for  its  exterior  ex- 
pression should  show  that  it  is  a  dwelling  solely,  and 
not  to  be  mistaken  for  a  temple,  or  a  pagoda.  A  house 
for  permanent  occupation  should  have  its  one  or  more 
fronts  —  scarce  ever  more  than  two  —  and  such  front  or 
fronts  furnished  in  a  style  of  superiority,  or  otherwise 
corresponding  with  the  uses  for  which  they  are  de- 
signed. It  is  to  be  supposed  that  its  site  commands 
the  finest  view  which  the  park  embraces,  and  the  best 
front  of  the  dwelling  should  look  out  upon  it.     The 


STYLE    OF    THE    HOUSE.  35 

rooms  on  that  front  should  be  the  liighest  finished  and 
furnished,  and  devoted  to  the  leisure  hours  of  the 
family,  to  purposes  of  hospitality  and  social  inter- 
course. Such  may,  under  fitting  circumstances,  be 
made  the  entrance  front,  ^vhen  another  does  not  render 
the  approach  more  convenient.  All  the  show  and 
luxury  of  the  exterior  finish  should  here  be  displayed  ; 
as,  commanding  the  best  and  most  extended  view  over 
other  objects,  it  is  the  most  prominent  and  pleasing 
subject  of  contemplation  from  the  same  objects  in  turn. 
The  house  should  show,  from  any  point  of  view  at 
which  it  is  seen,  that  it  has  a  principal  front,  or  another 
front,  if  it  really  be  so  ;  yet  that  this  other  be  subordi- 
nate to  the  main  one,  for  it  is  scarcely  to  be  supposed 
that  any  one  house  can  command  two  opposite  fronts, 
or  even  a  side  one,  in  addition,  of  equal  interest  or 
beauty.  It  should  indicate,  also,  that  it  has  one  or 
more  sides  shut  oft'  from  the  general  view,  which  aro 
appropriated  to  family  rooms,  where  the  inmates  may 
be  retired  ;  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  domestic  con- 
venience demands  that  there  be  servants'  rooms, 
kitchen,  scullery,  laundry,  wood-house,  and  other  appen- 
dages, forming  a  continuous  range  of  building  in  the 
rear,  which  should  be  quite  shut  oiF  from  familiar  con- 
tact, with  the  better  and  more  finished,  and  protected 
by  shrubbery,  trees,  fences,  and  perhaps  additional 
buildings,  accommodating  the  stable  and  other  re- 
quirements. These,  in  contiguity  with  the  kitchen  and 
fruit-gardens,  placed  in  appropriate  position  and  con- 
nection with  the  main  dwelling,  compose  a  picture  of 
completeness  on  which  the  eye  can  rest  with  entire 
satisfaction. 

There   being   a  sufficiency   of   ground,   the   house 


36  I'AKKS    AND    PLKASUKE-GROUNDS. 

should  spread  over  it.  There  is  no  necessity,  nor  con- 
venience, in  underground  rooms  for  living  purposes, 
in  the  country  house.  For  height,  full  two  stories 
above  the  surface  is  all  that  it  requires  ;  more  than 
that  gives  it  an  ambitious  look,  and  suggests  the  idea 
of  a  city  house  in  a  wrong  place.  A  broad  veranda 
on  the  principal  front  we  would  not  omit ;  it  may  be 
extended  around  one  or  more  of  the  sides,  or  even,  in 
a  southern  climate,  to  the  opposite  front,  if  such  front 
there  be,  (but  not  a  continuous  veranda  around  the 
whole,)  provided  the  style  of  its  architecture  will  allow 
it  without  a  violation  of  its  rules. 

A  flanking  and  rear  of  wood,  composed  of  either  fruit 
or  forest  trees,  makes  tlie  richest  background,  as  seen 
from  a  distance;  and  where  nature  has  not  already  fui-- 
nished  the  forest,  a  plantation  of  one  or  the  other  should 
at  once  be  commenced.  By  this,  the  liouse  and  its  ap- 
pendages become,  as  they  should  be,  the  eye  of  the 
picture,  other  irrelevant  and  less  interesting  objects 
being  shut  out  of  sight.  Such,  and  all  such  advantages 
may  be  comprised  in  the  dwelling  of  the  wealtliy 
farmer  or  planter  of  the  United  States,  without  trench- 
ing on  an  economical  arrangement  of  his  family  resi- 
dence. 

Let  such  a  composition  of  tlie  park  mansion  be  con- 
trasted with  many  a  modern  one,  designed  for  ex- 
pressly the  same  objects,  which  are  so  often  obtruded 
upon  our  sight :  a  tall,  square,  castellated  structure, 
standing  on  a  high  basement,  having  at  least  two, 
sometimes  three,  and,  worse  still,  four  fronts,  all 
equally  approached  by  a  carriage-wa^^  or  foot-walk 
entirely  around  it.  The  windows  of  each  room  staring 
out  upon  its  front,  and  every  apartment  exposed  to  the 


STYLE   OK   THE    HOUSK.  37 

noise  and  intrusion  of  every  ^^asser-by ;  every  door  a 
public  door,  and  no  private  ingress  or  egress  whatever. 
A  cellar-kitchen,  with  underground  offices  attached, 
sending  their  steam,  smoke,  and  effluvia  into  every 
room  and  area  above,  and  concentrating  within  the 
four,  six  or  a  dozen  lines  of  outer  wall,  as  the  various 
angles  and  zig-zag  lines  of  said  wall  may  govern,  all 
the  seemly  and  unseemly  kinds  of  occupation  to  which 
the  appurtenances  of  a  dwelling-house  are  devoted  ! 
Of  the  style  of  its  outer  or  inner  architecture,  no  matter 
now  —  of  its  interior  arrangement  we  are  at  this  moment 
speaking,  and  it  must  be  apparent  to  all  who  under- 
stand either  the  requirements  or  necessities  of  house- 
keeping, that  it  has  no  true  fitness  for  such  purpose. 
All  and  every  part  is  public,  and  public  alike  —  all 
lawn,  all  approach,  all  open,  all  show.  There  is  no  re- 
tirement, no  privacy  about  the  establishment  whatever. 
Yet  many  such  houses,  mansions,  country  seats,  or 
villas,  by  whatever  name,  are  thought  by  some,  pro- 
fessing to  have  taste  and  judgment  in  such  matters, 
fine  houses  to  live  in  !  "We  have  seen  such,  built  at  an 
expense  often,  twenty  — even  thirty  thousand  dollars, 
and  upward,  that  were  eclipsed  in  all  convenient 
family  accommodation,  at  a  cost  of  half  the  money  in 
each  corresponding  degree  of  pretension. 

Now,  to  any  one  who  will  enter  into  the  details  of 
such  an  establishment,  it  will  prove  a  difficult  labor  to 
trace  out  the  sinks,  drains,  areas,  and  what  not,  lead- 
ing into  and  out  of  it,  their  cost  in  construction,  the 
labor  and  vexation  of  living  in  and  keeping  it  in  re- 
pair. The  stables  and  carriage-houses  —  for  there  are 
no  out-houses,  in  the  common  acceptation  of  the  term 
—  are  at  a  distance,  either  in  open  view,  or  behind 


38  PARKS    AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

trees  or  shrubbery,  as  cliance  may  govern,  and  all  con- 
nection with  gardens,  retired  walks,  the  woods  and 
fields  —  a  full  half  of  the  charm  of  country  life  —  is  as 
effectually  cut  off  as  though  one  lived  on  the  opposite 
side  of  a  public  street.  The  house  may  be  shaded  on 
one,  two,  or  on  every  side  by  a  veranda ;  but  what 
matters  it?  It  is  still  cut  off  from  immediate  inter- 
course with  the  grounds  which  should  in  all  propriety 
closely  connect  with  and  adjoin  one  or  more  sides  of  it, 
and  through  which  should  be  no  public  passage,  and 
only  approachable  through  a  door  of  the  house,  or 
a  gate  belonging  to  it.  It  is  a  show-house,  in  fact, 
erected  to  gratify  the  builder's  ostentation,  instead 
of  a  dwelling  in  which  to  enjoy  doniestic  peace  and 
seclusion. 

The  exterior  architecture  of  such  a  house,  as  appli- 
cable to  a  dwelling,  cannot  be  good,  because  there 
is  a  want  of  fitness  in  its  appearance  for  the  purposes 
for  which  it  is  built.  To  apply  architectural  propor- 
tions and  beauty  to  an  object  like  this,  it  should  be 
largely  extended  to  embrace  an  open  court,  around 
which  its  several  parts  should  extend,  like  a  European 
palace,  a  thing  we  have  no  use  for  in  America  as  a 
private  country  residence.  A  moderate  sized  house  of 
forty,  fifty,  or  sixty  feet  square,  as  large  as  is  usually 
required  here,  with  a  strictly  architectural  finish,  must 
look  like  a  public  structure,  and  then  it  becomes  an 
absurdity  as  a  dwelling.  Its  interior  fitness  is  no 
nearer  the  mark,  for  its  convenience  must  yield  to  the 
demands  of  the  exterior — a  show  dwelling  altogether. 

In  the  second  light  in  which  the  style  of  the  house 
may  be  regarded,  as  the  permanent  residence  of  the 
man  of  leisure,  the  scholar,  the  retired  man  of  business, 


STYLE    OF   TUE   HOUSE.-  39 

or  of  him  who  resorts  to  the  country  for  a  sojourn 
of  a  few  months  in  the  year,  and  unconnected  with 
agricultural  pursuits,  other  considerations  move  him  in 
its  construction  than  those  which  control  the  agri- 
cultural proprietor  alone.  If  he  retire  at  the  distance 
of  some  miles  from  the  city,  and  out  of  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  a  village,  the  man  who  intends  build- 
ing a  park  residence  will  appropriate  a  suiEcient  area 
of  ground  to  accommodate  his  wants  in  the  way  of 
pasturage  for  his  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  and  poultry, 
(for  without  them  his  establishment  must  be  incom- 
plete,) and  combine  within  his  own  possessions  a  suf- 
ficiency of  wood  —  and  water,  if  possible  —  to  give  a 
completeness  to  the  domain  within  his  own  apparent 
boundaries.  These  accomplished,  the  house  becomes 
the  attractive  and  paramount  object  of  his  attention. 

Although  not  perhaps  exactly  within  the  province 
of  these  notes  to  give  a  homily  on  the  financial  policy 
of  house-building  in  the  country,  yet  for  the  edification 
of  such  as  look  to  country  residence  as  a  recreation,  or 
a  temporary  retirement  only,  it  may  not  be  inappro- 
priate to  suggest  some  reflections  when  about  to  invest 
a  portion  of  their  capital  in  an  object  so  fruitful  of 
pleasurable  anticipations.  There  is  probably  no  de- 
scription of  real  estate  which  is  so  fitful  in  its  occupation, 
and  so  temporary  in  the  tenure,  as  the  country  places 
belons-ins  to  residents  in  our  cities.  The  reasons  lead- 
ing  to  this  might  be  given  at  length,  but  they  will 
readily  occur  to  any  one  who  chooses  to  give  the  sub- 
ject a  deliberate  thought.  Some  people  buy  a  place 
and  retire  into  the  country  without  the  knowledge  of 
what  country  life  really  is  —  without  any  true  apprecia- 
tion of  its  pleasures  or  its  sacrifices  —  without  reflection 


40  PARKS   AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

upon  its  iucouveniences  or  its  expense.  They  adoj^t  it, 
in  short,  because  it  is  the  fa.-hion.  One  buys  a  piece 
of  ground  -without  knowiug  its  capabilities  fur  the  ob- 
ject to  winch  it  is  designed,  and  throws  himself  into 
the  hands  of  his  professional  landscape  undertaker,  and 
•his  architect,  heedless  of  then-  skill  or  fitness  to  execute 
their  work.  They  squander  his  money,  and  put  up  a 
place  —  after  the  fashion  —  and  perhaps  before  it  is 
ready  for  his  occupation,  he  becomes  disgusted  with 
the  expense  and  place  together,  gets  over  his  passion 
for  retirement,  and  sells  it  on  the  first  good  ofi^er,  at  a 
heavy  sacrifice.  Another  may  retain  his,  and  try 
country  life  for  a  year  or  two,  and  then,  finding  it  un- 
satisfactory, disposes  of  it  at  perhaps  a  better  price 
than  the  last,  and  pockets  the  loss  with  the  best  grace 
be  can.  Another,  still  wiser,  buys  a  place  already  built, 
at  a  considerable  discount,  and  occupies  it,  intending 
to  make  it  a  j)ermanent  residence;  but  his  circum- 
stances changing,  in  business  or  family,  it  is  again 
sold,  most  usually  at  a  loss,  for,  coming  into  his  hands 
ever  so  complete,  his  own  propensity  for  improvement 
has  involved  an  outlay  of  some  thousands  for  its  far- 
ther embellishment,  for  v.^hich  the  new  purchaser  is 
not  inclined  to  pay.  And  so  goes  almost  the  entire 
chapter,  until  there  is  rarely  to  be  found  a  "  country 
place"  within  striking  distance  of  our  principal  cities, 
which  has  been  occupied  for  twenty  years  by  the  same 
family,  or  name,  and  but  very  few  for  half  that  period. 
They  have  proved  the  most  expensive  luxuries  in 
which  their  proprietors  have  indulged,  and  are  thrown 
off  their  hands  like  any  other  bauble  which  amused 
their  fancy  for  the  time,  and  with  quite  as  little  regret. 
These  are  facts  which  it  is  well  to  weigh  before 


STYLE    OF   THE    HOUSE,  .  41 

involving  one's  self  in  a  large  expenditure  in  building 
a  country  residence.  An  investment  in  land  is  not  so 
liazardous  a  matter.  If  well  situated  and  well  pur 
chased,  the  loss  in  it  cannot  be  much  when  one  wishes 
to  dispose  of  it,  even  if  not  valuable  for  agricultural 
purposes.  It  is  usually  the  house  and  the  other  erec- 
tions built  upon  it  which  sink  the  capital,  and  in  the 
event  of  the  sale  of  the  premises,  tastes  in  such  pro- 
perty usually  differing^  the  purchaser  is  fastidious  un- 
less he  can  drive  a  decided  bargain.  Many  familiar 
places  can  be  named  which  half  ruined  the  owners  in 
building  them,  and  never  gave  them  a  moment's  en- 
joyment in  their  occupation.  The  splendor  of  his 
dwelling  can  add  nothing  to  the  consequence  of  the 
proprietor  in  the  community  in  which  he  lives,  further 
than  to  identify  him  with  the  notoriety  of  his  temporary 
castle  ;  and  to  the  man  of  true  fame,  an  ambitious  and 
costly  house  counts  but  little  with  those  whose  appro- 
bation he  is  most  solicitous  to  preserve. 

We  would  not  be  misunderstood  as  suggesting  a 
mean  and  parsimonious  spirit  in  the  country  dwelling. 
Far  from  it.  Every  thing  relating  to  it  should  be  on  a 
liberal  plan — large  enough,  rooms  enough  for  family 
and  relatives,  and  complete  in  every  luxury  and  com- 
fort; but  all  for  use,  and  not  for  show.  Ostentation 
should  have  no  abiding  place  in  the  country.  Health, 
leisure,  amusement,  quiet,  rural  beauty,  are  the  objects 
for  which  the  country  is  sought  by  the  jaded  citizen, 
or  the  lover  of  country  life.  These  attained,  the  pur- 
poses of  the  park  and  its  country  house  are  accom- 
plished; and  what  these  cannot  provide  within  the 
limits  of  a  reasonable  expenditure  in  a  dwelling,  no 
amount  of  money  can  bestow.     On  the  contrary,  an 


42  TAKKS    AND   PLEASrKE-GEOrXDS. 

opposite  course  —  tlie  squandering  of  a  large  sum  on  an 
object  which  in  its  nature  and  purpose  is  designed  as 
a  retreat  from  the  throng  and  bustle  of  the  town,  has 
often  defeated  the  very  design  intended,  and  driven 
many  an  honest  seeker  of  the  true  pleasures  of  rural  life 
again  into  the  labor  and  turmoil  of  business,  from  the 
mistakes  they  had  made  in  the  outset. — Ed. 

AREAXGEilEXT  OF  THE  IxTERIOR    OF  THE  lIorSE. It 

may  be  supposed  that  the  improver  of  a  park  and 
pleasure-grounds  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  interior 
of  a  mansion,  and  it  may  be  admitted  that  he  is  only 
indirectly  concerned  with  it ;  still,  both  its  external 
and  internal  arrangements  are  to  him  matters  of  con- 
siderable importance,  and  come  in  fur  a  share  of  his 
attention,  as  they  give  a  character,  or  at  least  impart  a 
coloring,  to  the  scenery  which  he  may  endeavor  to 
create  in  the  vicinity.  AVe  therefore  deem  it  proper  to 
offer  a  few  hints  on  this  subject.  Every  well-arranged 
mansion-liouse,  whether  large  or  small,  should  liave 
two  principal  fronts,  the  eutraiice  front,  and  the  draw- 
ing-room front.  Of  the  first,  the  main  door  and  hall 
form  the  principal  features,  as  the  drawing-room  and 
other  public  rooms  should  do  of  the  second.  These 
fronts  should  be  on  opposite  sides  of  the  house,  or  if 
this  arrangement  cannot  be  adopted,  they  should  be  at 
right  angles  to  each  other,  with  an  end  window  or  two 
belonging  to  one  of  the  public  rooms  opening  on  the 
entrance  front.  The  former  arrangement  is  calculated 
to  impart  to  these  rooms  a  proper  degree  of  seclusion, 
and  to  keep  them,  as  it  were,  within  the  best  portion 
of  the  dressed  grounds,  whicli  should  be  on  the  draw- 
ing-room side  of  the  honse.  Another  portion  of  tlie 
interior  not  unfrequently  interferes  with  the  pri^  acy  of 


IXTEKIOR   OF   THE   HOUSE.  43 

the  dressed  grounds, — viz.,  tlie  servants'  apartments. 
These,  -when  on  the  ground-floor  and  under  the  public 
rooms,  overlook  the  pleasure-grounds  in  a  most  un- 
desirable manner.  To  obviate  this  inconvenience,  the 
clumsy  expedient  of  sinking  them,  in  whole  or  in  part, 
below  the  external  level  of  the  ground,  is  often  resorted 
to ;  but  such  apartments,  even  when  famished  with  an 
open  area  in  front  of  them,  have  always  a  damp,  un- 
healtliy  look,  and  not  opl}^  give  to  the  edifice  a  mean 
appearance,  but  also  seem  to  indicate  that  from  some 
defect  in  its  construction,  it  had  been  necessary  to  stick 
it  into  the  ground,  instead  of  allowing  it  to  stand  on  the 
surface.  In  either  position,  they  interrupt  that  feeling 
of  retirement  which  is  requisite  to  the  full  enjoyment  of 
dressed  grounds.  Servants'  apartments  may  be  formed, 
with  excellent  effect,  into  a  sort  of  wing  or  minor  group 
of  buildings  attached  to  the  main  body  of  the  house. 
Besides  these  relations  to  objects  immediately  contig- 
uous, the  arrangement  of  the  interior  of  the  house 
should  have  a  reference  to  the  park  and  the  more  dis- 
tant country.  The  drawing-room  should  always  com- 
mand the  finest  views  which  are  to  be  seen  from  the 
windows,  whether  these  occur  in  the  adjacent  or  in  the 
external  scenerj^.  The  views  from  the  hall  door  are  of 
minor  importance,  but  they  ought  not  to  be  overlooked 
or  neglected.  The  house,  when  felicitously  arranged  in 
these  respects,  may  be  said  to  preside  over  the  beauties 
of  the  place.  Other  considerations,  indeed,  may  be,  and 
often  are,  taken  into  account.  If  warmth  rather  than 
beauty  is  the  object  aimed  at,  the  drawing-room  front 
should  look  toward  the  south,  whatever  inay  be  the 
scenery  in  that  quarter,  and  the  entrance  should  be  on 
any  of  the  other  sides  which  may  be  most  sheltered  or 


44  PAEKS   AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

most  convenient.  Both  the  elements  of  warmth  and 
beauty,  however,  may  sometimes  be  secured  by  placing 
the  family  rooms  toward  the  south,  and  the  public 
rooms  toward  the  east  or  west,  with  end  windows  to 
the  south  or  north,  if  the  finest  views  happen  to  be  in 
these  directions. 

Note. — It  will  be  readily  seen  that  our  author  writes 
for  an  English,  Scotch,  or  Irish  climate,  in  remarking 
that  "  the  views  from  the  hall  door  are  of  minor  im- 
portance." Our  American  cliinates  in  summer,  when 
fine  views  are  most  to  be  enjoyed,  are  decidedly  dry, 
as  well  as  warm ;  and  the  hall  door,  or  one  of  them, 
at  least,  if  there  be  two,  shoidd  lead  on  to  the  veranda 
overlooking  the  best  view  from  the  house.  The  ve- 
randa, even  in  the  northern  states,  is  the  most  pleasant 
place  of  resort  in  fine  weatlier,  and  in  the  southern 
states  it  is  indispensable  for  the  enjoyment  of  the  open 
air.  Thus,  \\\q  hall  door,  in  that  connection,  becomes 
a  prominent  feature  of  tlie  house  with  us ;  while  in 
England,  even  in  midsummer,  it  is  but  little  used  for 
such  an  object.  For  the  same  reason  —  the  compara- 
tive coolness  and  moisture  of  the  summer  climate  —  we 
see  few  verandas  on  the  English  houses.  They  court 
the  sun ;  we  seek  the  shade.  Contrary  to  the  text,  there- 
fore, a  hall  door  and  veranda  should  be  on  the  best  front 
of  the  house,  whenever  the  main  conveniences  of  the 
dwelling  will  permit  them.  "With  the  other  quite  cor- 
rect remarks  of  our  author  we  entirely  coincide,  and 
with  him  most  heartily  beg  every  builder  of  a  house  in 
the  country  to  avoid  a  cellar-kitclien  as  he  would  a 
pestilence.  Such  tilings  have  no  business  out  of  a  city 
under  any  pretense  whatever.  A  rear  wing  to  the 
house  is  the  appropriate  building  for  the  kitchen,  and 


CONSERTATORT.  45 

all  other  working  departments  connected  with  it,  as 
well  as  the  proper  place  for  the  living  rooms  and  dor- 
mitories of  the  servants. — Ed. 

CoxsEKVATOKY.  —  Among  the  various  appendages 
which  it  is  desirable  that  a  mansion-house  should  pos- 
sess, none  is  more  important  than  the  conservatory, 
which,  when  happily  placed,  may  be  regarded  as  an 
extension  of  tlie  drawing-room,  or  at  least,  if  it  is  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  house,  and  properly  connected  with 
it,  it  is  of  admirable  convenience  as  a  place  of  walking 
and  of  recreation  in  all  kinds  of  weather.     If  possible, 
it  should  be  contiguous  to  some  one  of  the  public  rooms 
or  the  corridor;    if  the  drawing-room  can  be  made  to 
open  into  it,  or  communicate  with  it  by  a  short  corri- 
dor, so  niucii  the  better;  but  it  is  most  desirable  that 
it  should  be  easily  accessible  by  the  family  without 
their  leaving  the  house,  or  dohig  more,  at  most,  than 
passing  along  a  glazed  passage  or  veranda.     When  tlie 
conservatory  enters  into  the  original   arrangements, 
one  or  other  of  these  expedients  may  generally  be 
practicable;  but  if  it  is  entirely  an  after-thought,  it 
sometimes  happens  that  a  suitable  site  for  it  cannot  be 
obtained.     It  has  wants  of  its  own.     It  requires  free 
air  and  open  sunshine,  and  would  be  rendered  useless 
were  it  shaded  by  the  house.     It  obviously  cannot 
stand  on  the  northern  side  of  the  mansion ;  and  if  the 
drawing-room  has  a  central  position  in  that  direction, 
it  is  evident  that  no  immediate  connection  can  be  estab- 
lished between  them.     There  is  nothing,  however,  in 
itself,  to  prevent  it  from  occupying  such  a  site  on  any  of 
the  other  three  sides  as  will  harmonize  with  the  other 
buildings  of  the  house,  or  will  suit  the  internal  arrange- 
ments and  communications.     In  general,  it  is  easier  to 


4f)  PARKS   AND   PLEASUKE-GROUNDS. 

make  a  good  adaptation  and  adjustment  in  houses  ol 
moderate  extent,  than  in  very  hirge  ones.  The  conser- 
vatory, when  entered  from  the  house,  should  be  consi- 
dered as  a  glazed  drawing-room,  fitted,  by  its  abundance 
of  light,  and  its  command  of  warmth,  for  the  growth  of 
fine  exotic  plants.  Its  internal  arrangements  should  be 
simple,  its  passages  of  ample  v/idth,  and  its  whole  ap- 
pliances should  be  such  as  to  permit  a  free  exhibition 
of  the  plants  without  their  admirers  crushing  upon 
them  or  being  incommoded  by  them.  The  shelving 
and  stages,  when  these  are  introduced,  should  be  kept 
low,  so  that  the  plants,  if  not  below  the  eye,  may  be  on 
a  level  with  it,  or  not  much  raised  above  it.  Such  a 
position  is  required  by  many  plants,  as,  for  example, 
most  of  the  heaths,  camellias,  cacti,  pelargoniums,  etc. 
Others,  as  the  fuchsias,  acacias,  passifloras,  and  gly- 
cines, are  seen  with  more  effect  from  below,  and  may 
therefore  be  allowed  to  grow  up,  or  may  be  trained  in 
more  elevated  places  in  the  house.  When  the  conser- 
vatory is  constructed  on  a  large  scale,  the  stages,  per- 
liaps,  had  better  be  omitted,  and  the  shelves  confined 
-to  the  north  side  ;  and  besides  borders  round  the  other 
sides,  the  center  may  be  arranged  into  wide  plots  for 
the  growth  of  large  plants  in  groups  or  masses.  A 
paved  walk  may  encircle  the  house,  leaving  a  border 
between  it  and  the  upright  glass  walls,  and  the  central 
space  may  be  irregularly  divided  by  paths  of  clean 
gravel,  wdiich  will  have  a  more  garden-like  efifect  than 
when  a  number  of  intersecting  pavements  are  em- 
ployed. The  internal  framework  of  the  house  should 
be  simple,  but  elegant.  Elaborate  decoration  in  this 
department  has  a  tendency  to  detract  from  the  efifect 
of  the  plants.     Fine  mouldings  and  carvings  harbor 


OONSEEVATOKT.  47 

insects,  collect  dust,  and,  as  they  are  difficult  to  clean, 
contract  an  untidy  appearance  in  a  very  short  time. 
The  coloring  of  the  wood  or  iron-work  should  be  light, 
but  not  glaring;  a  shade  of  whito  in  generally  the  most 
suitable,  as  it  brings  out  the  green  of  the  foliage,  and 
interferes  little  with  the  tints  of  the  flowers.  A  foun- 
tain, or  a  group  of  statuary,  is  a  desirable  addition  to 
the  conservatory,  as  also  a  piece  of  rockwork  for  the 
growth  of  ferns  and  succulent  plants.  The  heatiiig  of 
the  internal  air  is,  in  ordinary  circumstances,  best  ac- 
complished by  hot-water  j^ipes,  which,  for  the  con- 
venience of  the  walks,  must  be  placed  below  the  floor, 
with  iron  gratings  above  them,  to  permit  the  immission 
of  the  heat.  There  is  one  important  advantage  in 
employing  a  hot-water  circulation  fur  raising  and  reg- 
ulating the  temperature,  —  viz.,  that  the  furnace  by 
which  the  heat  is  supplied  does  not  necessarily  require 
to  be  close  to  the  house,  though  undoubtedly  it  is  the 
more  effective  the  nearer  it  is.  The  boiler  may  be 
placed  at  the  distance  of  more  than  a  hundred  feet 
without  any  material  disadvantage,  provided  the  pipes 
are  laid  under  ground  in  a  dry  and  double-cased  drain, 
to  prevent  the  escape  of  heat  from  the  water  in  its 
passage  to  the  house.  The  external  aj^pearance  of  the 
conservatory,  and  its  effect  on  the  group  of  buildings 
composing  the  mansion-house,  require  careful  and  ma- 
ture consideration.  There  may  be  various  positions 
which  would  suit  it  perfectly  as  a  receptacle  for  plants, 
but  in  which  any  of  the  ordinary  forms  of  glazed  houses 
would  have  an  injurious  effect  on  the  structure  to  which 
they  might  be  appended.  There  is  a  certain  amount  of 
incongruity  between  almost  all  the  forms  alluded  to  and 
the  architecture  of  our  modern  houses.    Architects  have 


48  PARKS   AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

labored  to  overcome  this  difiicnlty,  and  seldom  with 
much  success.  ludeed,  their  efforts  have  generally 
resulted  in  their  making  the  conservatory  a  vegetable 
dungeon,  or  perhaps  at  best  something  like  a  Parisian 
orangery,  rather  than  a  lively  and  genial  abode  for 
plants,  which  require,  for  their  healthy  and  luxuriant 
development,  more  light  than  our  cloudy  atmosphere 
and  our  distance  from  the  equator  readily  aflbrd.  When 
made  an  architectural  erection,  it  should  be  constructed 
to  admit  as  much  light  as  possible.  If  this  cannot  be 
effected  while  it  is  kept  in  harmony  with  the  mansion- 
house,  it  is  better  to  withdraw  it  into  some  secondary 
position,  and  to  mould  it  more  in  conformity  with  its 
main  purpose,  than  for  architectural  display.  In  such 
cases,  it  perhaps  ought  to  be  at  once  removed  into  the 
general  flower-garden;  but  before  doing  so,  a  place 
should  be  sought  for  it  in  the  dressed  grounds  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  mansion-house,  where  it  may  be  deco- 
rated with  terraces  and  other  ornaments,  while  it  is 
treated  directly  as  a  glass-house  fur  plants,  with  inter- 
nal arrangements  as  above  indicated.  AVood  and  iron 
are  generally  employed  for  the  framework  of  such 
houses,  as  they  combine  strength  and  lightness  in  a 
higher  degree  than  any  other  materials.  Stone  pilas- 
ters, of  slender  proportions,  maybe  introduced,  to  give 
a  somewhat  architectural  air  to  the  structure.  The 
glass  which  is  used  for  the  sashes  should  be  good,  and 
free  from  impurities  and  irregularities,  in  large  squares, 
or  in  panes,  long  at  least,  if  not  broad ;  for  nothing 
connected  with  plant-houses  produces  so  mean  and 
slovenly  an  effect  as  short  ])anes  of  glass  with  a  multi- 
tude of  overlaps. 

JS'ote. — The  facility  with  which  conservatories  are 


STABLE-COURT   AND   OFFICES.  49 

now  got  up  in  the  United  States,  ought  to  make  them 
an  appendage  to  every  complete  country  dwelling. 
"We  can  add  little  to  what  is  so  well  said  in  the  pre- 
ceding. Yet  there  is  one  benefit  of  the  conservatory 
to  which  the  reader's  attention  may,  with  great  pro- 
priety, be  called.  Doctor  Alexander  H.  Stevens,  a 
distinguished  physician  of  New  York,  thus  speaks  of 
the  value  of  green-houses,  in  Downing's  Horticulturist: 

"  Having  for  many  years  suffered  from  a  pulmonary 
complaint,  some  ten  or  twelve  years  since,  in  visiting 
the  green-house  of  Mr.  Niblo,  then  my  neighbor  in 
Broadway,  during  the  winter,  I  found  the  atmosphere 
exceedingly  congenial.  It  abated  my  cough,  rendered 
the  expectoration  loose  and  easy,  softened  the  skin, 
and  induced  a  comfortable  state  of  feeling,  approach- 
ing to  exhilaration.  Wishing  to  have  such  an  atmos- 
phere at  command,  I  constructed  a  cold  grapery,  in 
which,  whenever  it  has  been  convenient,  I  have  passed 
the  hours  of  reading  and  study.  The  climate  of  a  cold 
green-house,  in  a  sunny  day  of  the  winter  or  spring,  is 
a  Florida  climate,  and  is  entirely  different  from  that 
of  an  artificially  heated  atmosphere.  I  venture  to  re- 
commend it,  under  most  circumstances,  to  pulmonary 
invalids,  in  preference  to  the  more  expensive  plan  of 
removal  to  the  south,  involving,  as  it  does,  much  dis- 
comfiture, interruption  of  business,  hazard,  exposure, 
and  entire  separation  from  friends." — Ed. 

Stable-court,  axd  Offices. — The  stables  and  their 
appendages  may  form  a  suitable  part  of  the  mansion- 
honse  group  of  buildings,  where  the  latter  are  not 
below  the  medium  size ;  but  when  circumstances  do 
not  permit  this  arrangement,  I  would  recommend  for 
them  a  dry,  sunny,  airy  situation,  commanding  a  good 


50  PARKS    AXD    PLEASUEE-GROrXDS, 

Bupplj  of  water,  at  a  medium  distance  from  the  house, 
but  ccrtainl}'  not  in  a  prominent  position  in  the  grounds. 
Scarcely  any  thing  is  in  worse  taste  than  a  hirge  rect- 
angular building,  with  its  huge  coach-house  gates,  - 
central  pediment,  and  a  steeple  or  tower,  comjjosing 
together  a  staring  object  in  the  park,  and  competing 
with  the  mansion-house  itself.  Stables  of  this  descrip- 
tion are  not  uncommon,  and  sometimes  they  have  their 
dignity  increased  by  being  erected  near  the  principal 
approach.  While  the  stable-offices  should  be  of  easy 
access,  they  ought  always  to  be  placed  on  the  secondary 
approach  or  back  road.  A  convenient  site  for  theui 
"may  frequently  be  found  on  the  edge  of  the  pleasure- 
grounds,  where  they  should  be  wholly  or  partially 
concealed  by  planting.  A  walk  leading  from  the 
house  through  the  grounds,  and  passing  near  a  private 
entrance  into  the  stable-court,  will  be  found  a  great 
convenience.  It  is  not  unusual  to  combine  the  stable- 
court  and  farm-offices  into  one  square.  The  arrange- 
ment is  not  a  happy  one,  particularly  if  the  farm- 
offices  are  extensive  and  near  the  house ;  and  it  be- 
comes most  inconvenient  should  the  home  farm  be  let, 
as  it  sometimes  is,  for  in  that  case  two  masters  and 
two  sets  of  servants  cannot  long  remain  on  good  terms. 
Several  instances  of  this  misarrangement  and  its  con- 
sequent annoyances  have  fallen  under  my  notice.  As 
a  general  rule,  the  farm-offices  should  be  kept  at  as 
great  a  distance  from  the  mansion-house  as  the  con- 
venience of  the  home  farm,  and  the  easy  access  of  the 
proprietor  will  permit. 

Note. — The  stables  should  be  within  convenient  call 
of  the  house,  say  from  one  to  two  hundred  yards,  and 
if  possible,  in  a  sheltered  place  on  the  leeward  side,  to 


STABLE- COURT   AND   OFFICES.  51 

avoid  the  swarms  of  flies  with  which  they  abound 
during  tlie  heats  of  summer,  being  blown  toward  the 
dwelling.  The  stable-grounds  should  be  of  the  driest 
description,  and  if  not  naturally  so,  they  should  be 
thoroughly  underdrained,  to  pass  off  all  superfluous 
water.  Neither  horses  nor  cows  can  be  perfectly 
healthy  on  damp  grounds,  or  in  buildings  standing 
upon  them. — Ed. 


52  PAKKS  AND  rLEASUEE-GROUNDS. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE  APPROACH. 

Definition  —  Direction  of  the  Approach  —  The  Site  of  the  Entrance- 
o-ate  —  Style  of  the  Gate  and  Lodge  —  Line  of  Approach  throiigli 
the  Park  —  Gates  on  the  Line  of  Approach  —  Formation  of  the  Ap- 
proach—  Roadway  of  Approach  —  Decoration  of  Approacli  —  The 
Avenue  —  The  Fine  Approach. 

An  Approach  is  a  road  leading  from  tlic  jmncipal 
highway  of  the  district,  and  passing  through  the  park 
and  dressed  grounds  to  the  mansion-house.  It  is  not  to 
be  considered  as  identical  with  the  avenue  found  in  some 
old  places,  which  latter  is  an  alley  or  straight  road  run- 
ning between  parallel  lines  of  tall  trees.  The  term 
approach,  in  its  general  acceptation,  may  denote  every 
kind  of  access  to  the  house ;  in  common  usage,  how- 
ever, it  is  mostly  restricted  to  the  principal  one.  In 
districts  where  there  are  large  forests  or  extensive  pas- 
ture-farms connected,  with  the  estate,  the  external  high- 
way may  be  so  private  as  to  assume  the  cliaracter  of  an 
approach,  and  as  such  may  require  to  l)e  dealt  v.-itli  on 
the  principles  of  landscape-gardening :  at  ])rcscnt  it  is 
proposed  to  speak  of  the  approach  only  as  internal  to 
the  park.  In  the  estimation  of  some,  the  ai)]n-oacIi 
occu])ics  a  primary  ]i]ace  in  the  arrangement  of  a  countiy 
rcsiden-ce.  It  is  ])roba1jly  sufllcicnt,  in  almost  all  cases, 
to  allow  it  a  third-rate  ])Osition  in  the  scale  of  im])ort- 
ancc.    Tlic  site  of  the  house,  as  related  to  the  ])ark. 


THE   APPKOACn.  63 

generally  and  to  the  leading  road  of  the  district,  clearly 
ought  to  hold  the  first  place,  and  the  second  may  bo 
safely  conceded  to  the  pleasure-grounds  and  flower- 
gardens.  These  points,  indeed,  should  not  be  deter- 
mined irrespective  of  the  approach,  a  not  uncommon 
mistake  in  the  opposite  direction;  but  in  forming  a 
general  idea  of  the  whole  place,  and  particularly  in  the 
construction  of  the  roads,  care  should  be  taken  that  the 
site  of  the  house  and  the  seclusion  of  the  adjacent 
grounds  should  not  be  sacrificed,  as  they  too_often  are, 
to  the  vanity  of  having  a  fine  approach.  In  most  eases, 
there  is  no  great  difiiculty  in  making  a  good  approach, 
at  least  when  the  house,  office,  gardens,  and  pleasure- 
grounds  have  been  properly  arranged ;  but  when  these 
objects  have  been  ill-assorted,  the  work  is  far  from  being 
an  easy  one,  especially  when  the  house  has  been  set  down 
with  its  principal  entrance  to  the  south,  when  it  should 
have  been  to  the  north,  or  toward  the  east  instead  of 
the  west;  or  when  the  kitchen  or  other  offices  are 
attached  to  the  wrong  wing  of  the  house.  Such  mis- 
arrangements  may  be  said  to  be  of  daily  occurrence, 
and  they  often  present  almost  insuperable  obstacles  in 
the  way  of  properly  laying  out  the  various  parts  of  the 
grounds.  Tliese  arise  from  the  circumstance  that  no 
definite  plan  of  the  place  has  been  formed,  nor  even  a 
general  idea  of  it  conceived,  till  after  the  site  of  the 
house  has  been  fixed,  and  perhaps  the  work  of  building 
has  been  partially,  if  not  completely  executed.  The 
proprietor  then  begins  to  think  how  he  is  to  get  to  his 
house  ;  he  at  length  perceives  difficulties  in  the  form- 
ation of  the  approach,  which  render  professional  advice 
desirable,  and  applies  for  it  when  it  is  too  late,  or  when 
all  that  the  utmost  ingenuity  can  efiect  is  a  decidedly 


54  I'AKKS    AND   PLEAS UltK-GI?OUNDS. 

inferior  line  of  approacli.  To  avoid  these  errors  the 
garden  artist  should  be  consulted  almost  as  soon  as  the 
architect,  or  indeed,  at  the  same  time.  We  have  no 
intention  of  disparaging  the  professional  position  of  the 
architect,  which,  in  relation  to  the  house,  must  be 
admitted  to  be  primary  and  all-important ;  but  as  con- 
nected with  the  house,  he  has  generally  some  ideas 
respecting  the  approach  which  we  must  be  allowed  to 
say  should  be  received  with  cantion.  lie  naturally 
would  make  the  approacli  the  means  of  sliowing  off  his 
own  work,  sometimes  not  judiciously  even  in  reference 
to  that  object,  and  very  often  at  the  cost  of  sacrificing 
all  the  rest  of  the  grounds.  We  cannot  wonder  that  be 
should  overlook  that  of  wliicli  he  has  seldom  any  con- 
ception ;  but  it  is  to  be  regretted  that,  on  that  account, 
a  tine  place  should  be  deteriorated.  Gentlemen  who  do 
not  need  professional  assistance  should  make  themselves 
sure  that  the  requirements  of  the  approach  are  brought 
in  some  degree  into  harmony  with  those  of  the  mansion- 
house  and  the  grounds,  before  the  building  operations 
are  commenced. 

']<(ote.  —  To  bring  all  the  features  of  the  park  into 
harmony,  one  with  the  other,  after  the  ground  which  is 
to  compose  it  is  decided  on,  the  whole  subject,  in  all 
its  combination  and  arrangement,  should  be  made  a 
study  for  months  before  the  work  of  its  cutting  up  and 
formation  is  commenced.  The  topography  of  the  ground 
in  all  its  peculiarities,  should  be  perfectly  familiar  to 
the  planner  of  the  park,  and  to  the  architect  of  the 
buildings,  that  each  may  harmonize  with  the  other.  In 
the  struggle  for  supremacy  in  showing  off  his  own  art, 
each  in  his  own  particular  department,  it  would  not  be 
strange  if  the  landscape-gardener  and  the  architect 


DIRECTION    OF    THE    APPROACH.  OO 

should  sometimes  l)e  at  issue  ;  but  in  all  such  cases  the 
practiced  eye  of  the  proprietor,  or  a  comjoctent  judge 
in  Buch  matters,  should  at  once  settle  disputed  points. 

The  "Approach''  is  of  no  consequence,  as  giving  a 
continuous  view  of  the  numsion.  On  the  contrary,  it 
savors  of  ostentation  in  the  proprietor,  A  striking 
glimpse  from  a  turn  or  two  in  the  roadway  leading  to 
it,  is  all  that  is  necessary  to  impress  upon  the  visitor 
the  commanding  position  of  the  dwelling  as  the  chief 
feature  of  the  concern. — Ed. 

Direction  of  the  Approach. — The  position  and 
direction  of  the  principal  approach,  in  respect  to  the 
surrounding  country,  are  subjects  which  require  mature 
consideration.  When  the  nature  of  the  ground  and 
other  circumstances  permit,  it  should  lead  toward  the 
house  from  that  side  of  the  park  on  which  the  nearest 
city  or  town  of  the  district  is  situated,  this  being  the 
direction  in  which  the  greatest  number  of  visitors  may 
be  expected  to  arrive,  and  in  which  the  social  relations 
of  the  proprietor  will  cause  him  most  frequently  to 
travel.  Eailways,  however,  have  now  become  means  of 
communication  of  equal,  if  not  superior,  importance  to 
the  public  roads ;  and  hence  facility  of  access  to  railway 
stations  is  more  frequently  sought  for,  and  in  many 
cases  secondary  approaches  are,  on  that  account,  being 
converted  into  principal  ones,  and  even  new  ones  formed. 
In  new  places  this  necessity  should  be  taken  into  account 
at  first ;  and  if  the  principal  approach  cannot  be  made  to 
afford  a  good  and  ready  way  to  the  railway  station,  as 
well  as  to  serve  the  general  purposes  of  the  mansion- 
house,  a  second,  scarcely  inferior  to  the  other,  must 
necessarily  be  formed.  Independently  of  railways,  a 
second  or  even  third  approach  to  the  mansion-house, 


56  PARES   AND    PLEASUEE- GROUNDS. 

throngli  extensive  parks,  is  often  needful  to  open  up 
communication  with  the  different  districts  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  When  the  second  approach  is  of 
nearly  as  mucli  importance  as  the  principal  one,  similar 
care  and  attention  must  be  expended  on  both.  If  the 
second  and  third  are  of  quite  a  subordinate  character, 
one  of  them  should  form  a  convenient  road  to  the  offices 
and  gardens,  while  the  other  maybe  prolonged  to  some 
extent  as  a  drive  through  the  park.  In  places  of  limited 
dimensions,  a  second  approach  and  a  back-road  to  the 
house  may  be  usefully  combined.  The  back-road  to  the 
house  and  service-roads,  when  well  arranged,  contribute 
much  to  the  domestic  convenience  of  the  residence. 
They  should  connect  the  house,  stables,  kitchen-garden, 
the  home  farm,  and  the  more  frequented  roads  of  the 
external  country;  and  they  should  be  such  that  the 
cartages  between  these  various  places  should  never  be 
brought  along  the  principal  approaches,  nor  do  more 
than  cross  them  when  necessary.  Though.kept  in  good 
order,  the  ajDpearance  and  position  of  these  roads  should 
clearfy  indicate  their  use. 

Note. — As  a  general  rule,  in  the  United  States,  the 
fewer  "  approaches  "  tlirough  a  park,  the  better.  They 
are  expensive  to  make,  and  expensive  to  keep  in  re- 
pair. Still,  in  well  kept  places,  the  main  approach 
should  not  be  made  subservient  to  common  and  labori- 
ous uses.  A  hidden  —  so  ftir  as  may  be — roadway 
should  accommodate  the  latter,  and,  if  possible,  never 
interfere  with,  or  cross  the  other,  when  it  can  be 
avoided. — Ed. 

Site  of  the  ExTrwVNCE. — The  entrance-gate,  and  its 
necessary  appendage,  the  lodge,  form  the  commence- 
ment of  the  approach,  and  a  suitable  site  for  these, 


SITE   OF   THE    ENTRANCE.  57 

and  an  easy  access  to  them,  require  attention.  Their 
position  is  so  often  governed  by  the  relative  direction 
of  the  public  roads,  and  by  the  boundaries  of  the  park, 
that  I  deem  it  necessary  to  refer  particuhirly  to  some 
of  the  best  and  worst  arrangements  regarding  them. 
"When  the  public  road  joins  the  park  wall  at  right 
angles,  or  nearly  so,  and  then  branches  off  to  the  right 
and  left  along  that  wall,  the  ground  being  level  or 
having  a  gentle  rise  toward  the  park,  an  entrance-gate 
placed  o^Dj^osite  the  junction  of  the  two  roads  will  oc- 
cupy one  of  the  best  and  most  imposing  positions.  If 
the  road  forms  a  single  rectangular  bend  where  it  meets 
the  park  wall,  this  spot  affords  an  excellent,  though 
perhaps  a  secondary  position.  But  when  the  road 
and  park  wall  come  together  at  an  acute  angle,  their 
point  of  contact  is  perhaps  the  worst  place  that  can  be 
selected  for  an  entrance,  as  it  seldom  admits  of  proper 
arrangements,  and  should  be  chosen  only  when  the 
nature  of  the  ground  makes  it  absolutely  necessary. 
When  the  first  and  second  positions  above  mentioned 
cannot  be  obtained,  we  would  recommend  a  plan  equal 
in  many  respects  to  the  second,  viz.,  the  selection  of 
a  suitable  position  for  the  entrance-gate  on  the  side  of 
the  turnpike  road,  and  the  placing  of  the  gate  in  a 
recess,  at  such  a  distance  from  the  center  of  the  road 
as  will  permit  a  carriage  to  be  easily  driven  through 
it.  Such  a  site  will  often  be  found  more  convenient 
than  one  of  greater  pretensions.  In  the  case  of  sub- 
urban residences,  there  is  generally  little  scope  for  the 
selection  of  a  site  for  the  entrance.  Frequently  the 
scanty  space  admits  of  nothing  more  than  a  gateway 
in  the  boundary  wall.  TJie  entrance-gate  to  baronial 
residences,  in  the  neighborhood  of  towns  or  villages, 
8* 


58  PAEKS   AXD    PLEASUKE-GEOU^'DS. 

is  most  advantageously  set  down  at  the  end  of  one  of 
the  leading  roads  or  princij)al  streets.  "When  it  is 
removed  to  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  or  to  a  distance 
from  its  natural  locality,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a 
long  approach,  it  is  aj^t  to  suggest  the  ideas  of  artilice 
and  unnecessary  straining  after  effect. 

Note. — The  site  of  the  entrance  to  a  fine  park  should 
not  strike  off  abruptly  from  the  highway,  as  if  by 
accident.  It  should  be  withdrawn  from  immediate 
contact  with  the  main  traveled  road,  by  throwing  out 
a  sufficient  area  of  the  grounds  to  common  use,  to 
render  the  ajjproach  to  the  gateway  easy  and  natural. 
No  stint  of  room,  or  parsimony  in  wall,  should  indi- 
cate any  thing  but  a  liberal  appropriation,  in  all  that 
concerns  the  proprietor.  The  entrance  should  look 
inviting;  and  that  can  never  be  when  the  gate  and 
the  walls  adjoining  it  are  pinched  up  close  up  to  the 
line  of  the  highway,  or  turn  at  a  short  angle  in  a 
dodging  direction,  like  the  hole  of  a  fox,  as  if  in  fear 
that  some  one  should  find  it.  There  should  be  quite 
as  much  an  expression  of  dignity  and  character  in  the 
entrance  to  the  park,  as  in  that  of  the  grounds  and 
buildings  within  it. — Ed. 

Style  of  the  Gate  and  Lodge  should  be  regu- 
lated by  the  extent  and  character  of  the  residence  as 
a  whole.  The  common  rule  ha?  been,  that  the  style 
of  the  lodge^  and  gate  should  follow  exactly  that  of 
the  mansion-house.  Perhaps  there  is  no  absolute 
necessity  that  it  should  be  so,  particularly  when  the 
buildings  supposed  to  be  compared  stand  at  the  dis- 
tance of  one  or  two  miles  from  each  other;  neverthe- 
less, there  should  be  no  maried  opposition  between 
the  respective  styles.     A  Grecian  lodge  and  gate  will 


STYLE    OF   TilE    C-ATIC    AND   LOPGE.  59 

not  prepare  one  fof  a  Gotliic  or  Elizubctban  majision. 
Mr.  Gilpin  well  reniai'lvS,  that  the  style  of  the  lodge 
and  gate  should  be  made  suitable  to  the  local  position 
in  vvhfch  they  are  placed.  AVere  this  always  the  case, 
their  effect  would  be  less  open  to  criticism  than  it  fre- 
quently is.  We  may  add,  that  there  should  be  a  visi- 
ble harmony,  not  only  in  style,  but  in  impoi-tance, 
between  the  gate  and  the  lodge ;  for  the  one  is  often 
sunk  by  its  marked  inferiority  to  the  other.  Some- 
times, when  referring  to  the  principal  entrance  into  a 
l^ark,  one  hesitates  to  speak  of  the  gate  or  of  the  lodgc^ 
jfrom  the  relative  want  of  importance  of  the  one  or 
the  other  of  them.  Although  the  gate  is  the  principal 
object,  and  the  lodge  only  an  accessory  aj^pendage,  in 
designing  them  the  result  aimed  at  should  be  a  united 
and  well-balanced  group.  When  the  approach  is 
short,  there  is  a  greater  necessity  for  an  exact  similar- 
ity of  style  between  the  entrance-buildings  and  those 
of  the  mansion-house.  The  wate  should  stand  at  rio-ht 
angles  to  the  line  of  the  approach,  and  should  be 
placed  sufficiently  back  from  the  center  of  the  public 
road,  when  one  passes  in  ft-ont  of  it,  as  not  only  to 
enable  a  carriage  to  stand  clear  of  the  road  and  the 
gate  while  the  latter  is  opening,  but  to  turn  easily  into 
it.  It  also  conduces  to  convenient  attendance  on  the 
gate,  that  the  lodge  is  furnished  with  a  window  which 
commands  a  view  of  a  carriage  coming  from  the  house 
some  time  before  it  reaches  the  jrate. 

Note. — The  prevailing  fault  in  building  gates  and 
lodges,  is  in  the  effort  at  too  ambitious  a  style  of  archi- 
tecture, and  a  consequent  expense  in  the  structures 
themselves.  The  gate  should  be  in  keeping  with  the 
main  inclosure,  both  in  strength  and  costliness;  so. 


60  PARKS    AND    PLEASUKE-GEOUNDS. 

also,  with  the  lodge.  It  is  tlie  habftation  of  a  depend- 
ent. It  should  ape  no  ostentation,  nor  have  expensive 
fittings.  Yet  it  should  look  like  a  dwelling,  as  it  is, 
with  all  the  little  conveniences  for  tidy  and  comfort- 
able living.  The  attempt,  sometimes  seen,  at  building 
a  gate-lodge  in  the  similitude  of  a  temple,  or  other 
fantastic  pretension,  is  but  little  above  ridiculous. 
Utility,  in  all  such  cases,  is  the  controlling  feature  of 
beauty,  as  well  as  propriety. — Ed. 

Line  of  the  Approach  through  the  Park. — 
When  a  judicious  site  for  the  entrance-gate  has  been 
selected,  a  good  starting  point  for  the  approach  has 
been  obtained.  After  passing  the  gateway,  it  should 
proceed  at  right  angles  to  the  line  of  the  gate  for  a 
short  distance,  the  length  of  this  part  being  regulated 
in  some  measure  by  the  nature  of  the  ground  and  tlie 
extent  of  the  park.  It  may  then  turn  off  toward  the 
mansion-house,  in  a  line,  of  which  we  may  remark 
generally,  that  though  it  may  not  be  the  shortest  that 
can  be  formed,  it  should  certainly  not  be  unnecessarily 
prolonged.  A  straight  line,  it  is  well  known,  is  the 
least  possible  distance,  and  persons  in  haste  naturally 
take  it;  except  on  level  surfaces,  however,  it  can 
rarely  be  adopted,  even  on  the  public  highways,  where 
rapid  locomotion  is  most  desirable,  and  considerable 
detours  are  often  made  to  avoid  the  retarding  eifect  of 
steep  inclinations.  In  the  park,  as  now  laid  out,  the 
straight  line  is  seldom  employed,  as  it  cannot  be  intro- 
duced without  a  stiff  and  bald  appearance.  On  the 
other  hand,  an  approach  two  or  three  times  longer 
than  necessary  may  be  regarded  as  paljDably  absurd ; 
and  not  less  so  is  an  approach  which  is,  for  any  reason, 
led  over  steep  and  difficult  ground,  when  perhaps  an 


LINE   OF   THE   APPROACH.  61 

easier  line  spontaneously  suggests  itself  to  the  observ- 
ant traveler.  The  exhibition  of  fine  views  is  a  tempt- 
ation to  commit  both  of  these  faults ;  but  it  is  a  tempt- 
ation which  should  be  resisted.  AVhile  the  approach 
may  disi)lay  the  average  beauties  of  the  place,  it  is 
bad  taste,  as  well  as  bad  economy  of  pleasure,  to 
lengthen  it  out  for  the  mere  purpose  of  showing  the 
extent  of  the  park  or  displaying  the  prospects  which 
its  best  points  may  be  made  to  command.  Such 
waste,  as  it  may  be  justly  called,  should  rather  be 
avoided.  The  extent  of  the  park  may  well  be  left  to 
actual  inspection  in  rides  taken  for  the  purpose ;  and 
the  finest  views  should  be  reserved  for  the  principal 
windows  of  the  house,  for  rustic  seats  or  other  stations 
in  the  dressed  grounds,  or  for  walks  or  drives  if  these 
be  necessary.  In  forming  an  approach  on  level  ground, 
it  is  proper  to  introduce  a  few  easy  sweeps  or  curves 
round  groups  or  clumps  of  trees :  these  we  prefer  to 
the  dull  insipidity  of  one  great  uniform  sweep,  which 
scarcely  any  planting  or  other  means  of  decoration 
can  relieve.  On  rising  and  undulating  grounds,  those 
approaches  have  the  most  elegant  eflect  whose  lines 
harmonize  best  with  the  natural  curves  of  the  surface. 
In  such  cases  all  cutting  and  embankiug  should  be 
avoided  as  far  as  possible.  Xothiug  can  be  in  worse 
taste  than  to  cut  through  a  broad  swell  of  ground  of 
small  elevation,  or  to  bank  across  a  wide  hollow  whose 
surfaces  vary  only  two  or  three  feet,  for  the  purpose 
of  forming  a  level  road,  or  what  may  be  called  some 
imaginary  gradient.  When  cuttings  find  embank- 
ments are  unavoidable,  as  they  may  be  on  short, 
abrupt,  rolling  undulations,  or  steep  surfaces,  they 
should  be  rendered  as  inconspicuous  as  may  be.     Easy 


62  PARKS   AND-  PLEASUEE-GROUNDS. 

inclinations  in  all  cases  are  extremely  desirable,  and 
to  obtain  these  on  rongh  ground  considerable  sacrifices 
must  often  be  made,  both  in  adding  to  the  length  and 
diminishing  the  beauty  of  an  approach.  Into  this 
species  of  work,  however,  the  furor  of  railway-making 
has  introduced  some  of  its  most  violent  operations,  and 
has  added  very  little  to  approaches,  as  good  roads, 
while  it  has  taken  much  from  their  agreeableness,  as 
good  drives  through  a  park.  Before  proceeding  to 
blast  rocks  with  gunpowder,  or  to  cut  into  or  through 
ridges,  it  is  well  to  see  whether  we  cannot  save  expense 
and  the  beauty  of  the  ground  by  deviating  a  little  to 
the  1  ight  or  left.  One  of  these  new  approaches,  formed 
in  defiance  of  all  such  considerations  as  those  now  in- 
dicated, and  executed  by  a  ci-devant  railway  surveyor, 
has  been,  not  unaptly,  styled  by  observant  neighbors, 
"The  Lodge  and  Stables  Direct  line," from  its  passing 
close  by  the  latter  offices  in  its  way  to  the  house.  .  In 
this  case,  however,  there  are  probably  more  faults  than 
cutting  and  embanking.  A  well-laid-out  approacli 
will  seldom  be  made  to  cross  the  park  on  the  drawing- 
room  front  of  the  house,  in  its  way  to  the  principal 
entrance.  It  is  desirable,  however,  that  the  house 
should  be  seen  from  it  in  one  or  two  advantageous 
positions,  and  that  it  should  be  in  part  visible  from 
tlie  windows  of  the  public  rooms,  in  order  that  the 
inmates  may  perceive  the  approach  of  visitors.  If 
there  are  circumstances  Mdiich  make  it  unavoidable 
for  the  approach  to  pass  the  drawing-room  front,  it 
should  be  kept  at  such  a  distance,  and  conducted  at 
such  a  level,  as  to  prevent  the  dressed  grounds  from 
being  overlooked. 

J^ote. — ^The  approach  should  arrive  at  the  house  in 


GATES    OX    THE   LIXE    OF    APPROACH.  63 

the  easiest  possible  way,  curving  round  the  hills,  and 
avoiding  the  hollows  —  shunning  cuttings  and  fillings 
alike.  It  should,  on  breaking  into  the  finer  grounds 
adjajcent  to  the  house,  rather  surprise  the  stranger  at 
the  magnitude  and  grandeur  of  the  place,  than  to  show 
it  only  as  he  had  fancied  it  from  the  glimpses  he  had 
caught  in  his  passage  up.  'We  have  seen  places  which 
struck  us  with  disappointment  on  arriving  at  the  main 
points  of  attraction,  from  their  less  imposing  character, 
in  reality,  than  thev  showed  when  approaching  them 
from  the  entrance.  The  view  from  the  house  should, 
if  possible,  surpass  all  others ;  or,  if  not,  the  grand 
view  of  the  place  should  not  be  an  everv-day  afiair, 
to  be  stopped  for,  and  gazed  at  as  the  lion  of  the 
establishment,  at  any  one  point  in  the  usual  approach. 
It  should  be  apart  and  by  itself,  to  hold  divided 
empire  with  nothing  else  on  the  premises. — Ed. 

Gates  ox  the  Lixe  of  the  Prixcipal  Appegach. — 
Gates  intervening  between  the  entrance-lodge  and  the 
main  door  of  the  house  should,  generally  speaking, 
be  avoided.  They  either  betoken  some  want  of  skill 
on  the  part  of  the  designer,  or  they  are  the  result  of 
some  mal-arrangement  of  the  subdivisions  of  the  park, 
or,  perhaps,  of  additions  to  the  dressed  gi'ounds.  The 
only  excei:)tions  to  this  rule  are  the  cases  in  which 
parks  and  pleasure-grounds  are  very  extensive.  In 
Buch  circumstances,  secondary  gates  and  lodges  may 
be  necessary.  Even  in  small  residences,  when  the 
approach  cannot  be  protected  by  a  fence,  the  whole 
way  to  the  main  door  of  the  house,  a  light  iron  gate 
may  be  required  to  defend  the  piece  of  lawn  or 
ornamental  ground  before  the  entrance-front.  The 
subdivision  of  the  park  for  grazing  purposes,  is  the 


64:  PARKS   AND   PLEASUEE-GUOUNDS. 

principal  source  of  the  gate  nuisance  on  the  apj^roach  ; 
but  it  may  be  abated  bj  the  use  of  wire  fences,  used 
as  divisional  fences,  and  made  to  run  parallel  to  the 
line  of  the  approach,  in  which  case  they  interrupt  the 
continuity  of  the  park  in  a  very  slight  degree.  They 
should  be  kept  back  from  the  road,  at  least  fifteen  or 
twenty  feet ;  and  the  grass  growing  on  the  intercepted 
space  may  be  cut  for  hay  or  eaten  down  occasionally 
by  sheep.  "We  have  found  such  an  arrangement  ex- 
tremely iiseful  in  a  park  where  the  approach  jjassed 
through  a  M-ood,  pasture-lands,  and  pleasure  grounds, 
for  the  length  of  a  mile,  without  a  single  gate. 

Note. — We  can  see  no  necessity  or  propriety  for 
subdivision  fences,  or  gates,  within  a  park,  unless  on 
extensive  agricultural  estates,  where  they  may  become 
indispensable  for  the  conveniences  of  cultivation,  or 
pasturage  ;  and  in  such  cases,  it  is  worth  some  pains 
to  ascertain  if  they  cannot  be  avoided.  All  cuttings- 
up  of  the  grounds,  by  "fences,  hedges,  or  otherwise, 
mar  the  dignity  of  the  places.  Apparent  extent  is  a 
chief  feature  in  a  park  proper ;  and  if  this  be  sacri- 
ficed to  the  common  checker-work  of  farm  fields,  bet- 
ter make  a  farm  of  it  at  once,  and  place  the  house  in 
a  well-kept  lawm,  with  its  tidy  inclosure  of  wire  fence, 
or  paling,  to  protect  the  shrubbery  and  flowers  which 
appertain  to  it,  rather  than  pretend  io  jparh  the  place, 
and  leave  it,  after  all  one's  effort,  a  failure. — Ed. 

Tekmination  of  the  Approach. — ^That  part  of  the 
approach  which  is  nearest  to  the  house,  and  comes  up 
to  the  entrance,  requires  very  careful  adjustment. 
AVhen  the  ground  is  level,  a  suitable  termination  is 
comparatively  easy;  but  in  other  cases,  cutting  and 
fiilling  up  of  the  surface  may  be  needful,  before  access 


ROADWAY   OF   THE   APPROACH.  65 

can  be  had  with  a  gentle  inclination  to  the  hall  door, 
or  a  sufficient  breadth  of  level  surface  can  be  formed 
in  front  of  it.  Almost  every  case  has  some  peculiarity 
of  its  own.  There  should  always  be  a  level  platform 
of  gravel  of  sufficient  breadth  to  allow  carriages  to 
turn  on  it.  When  this  platform  is  small,  it  is  very 
desirable  that  the  adjoining  portion  of  the  approach 
should  be  level.  When  the  nature  of  the  ground  ad- 
mits of  it,  the  platform  should  be  extended,  and  its 
exterior  portions  should  be  laid  down  in  grass.  Where 
the  ground  slopes  rapidly  from  the  entrance-front,  it 
is  proper  to  support  the  platform  by  an  ornamental 
wall  or  balustrade.  The  approach  should,  if  possible, 
never  descend  toward  the  house,  without  a  consider- 
able space  of  level  ground  intervening  between  the 
lowest  point  of  the  descent  and  the  entrance-platform. 
Any  visible  descent  near  the  house  always  imparts  to 
the  latter  a  mean  and  inferior  appearance. 

Roadway  of  the  Approach. — The  road,  to  have 
any  thing  like  a  tolerable  appearance,  cannot  be  less 
tban  twelve  feet  wide.  From  twelve  to  sixteen  feet 
may  be  regarded  as  a  medium  breadth ;  but  it  may  be 
necessary  to  make  it  as  much  as  twenty  feet,  A  long, 
narrow  approach,  through  an  extensive  j^ark,  has  very 
much  the  look  of  a  footpath.  The  road  should  be  well 
formed ;  for,  though  it  may  not  be  subjected  to  the  bur- 
den of  heavy  cartages,  the  carriages  that  pass  over  it 
are  not  always  of  the  lightest  description.  Besides,  in 
addition  to  its  being  a  good  road,  it  should  also  be  a 
irood  walk,  and  this  cannot  be  effected  without  its  be- 
ing  finished  in  a  superior  manner.  The  roadway  should 
have  its  bottom  paved  with  hand-packed  stones,  from 
four  to  six  inches  deep ;  over  these  should  be  placed 


66  PARKS   AND    PLEASUKE-GROUNDS. 

four  inches  of  rather  small  road-metal,  blinded  with 
two  inches  of  fine  gravel.  If  gravel  cannot  be  had, 
five  inches  of  road-metal  will  be  necessary,  and  two 
inches  at  the  top  must  be  broken  fine.  In  certain  dis- 
tricts there  is  abundance  of  what  is  called  rotten  rock, 
or  beds  of  rock  partially  decomposed  by  the  action  of 
the  atmosphere,  which  supply  an  excellent  blinding 
material.  The  road  should  be  rounded  by  being  raised 
iu  the  center  two  or  three  inches  above  the  sides.  In 
damp  situations,  small  drains  should  be  formed  along 
each  side  and  below  the  roadway.  "Where  the  road- 
way has  a  hard  bottom,  that  is,  when  it  is  cut  through 
rock  or  firm  gravel,  the  packed  stones  may  be  omitted. 
It  is  good  economy  to  make  a  thorough  road  over  the 
whole  breadth  at  once,  as  carriages  do  not  always  keep 
the  center,  and  are  sure  to  break  down  that  part  which 
is  insufiiciently  constructed.  The  secondary  and  other 
service-roads  in  the  park  should  also  be  well  made, 
though  they  do  not  require  to  be  so  finely  finished  as 
the  approach.  It  may  be  laid  down  as  an  axiom,  that 
well-made  roads  are  most  easily  kept  in  order,  and 
least  expensive  in  their  after  management.  Where  cut- 
tings and  embankments  are  required  on  approaches, 
several  feet  of  level  space  should  intervene  between  the 
road  and  the  bottom  of  the  slope  down  to  it,  or  between 
the  road  and  the  upper  edge  of  embankment  which 
supports  it.  In  both  cases  the  newly-formed  slopes 
should  be  rounded  so  as  to  unite  as  far  as  possible  with 
the  natural  curves  of  the  ground. 

JVote.  —  This  road-making  is  an  expensive  business 
in  America,  and  where  it  is  of  considerable  extent 
within  a  park,  may  cost  more  than  the  house  itself 
By  the  aid  of  thorough  under-draining— and  under- 


DECORATION  OF  THE  APPROACH.         67 

draining  is  not  very  expensive  —  a  good  road  may  be 
made,  even  on  heavy  lands,  with  the  soil  over  which 
it  passes.  All  water-courses  running  across  them 
should  be  well  and  highly  bridged,  and  carried  away 
as  directly  as  possible,  and  the  side  ditches  turned  off 
at  every  convenient  opportunity.  The  manner  of  laying 
out  the  road,  or  approach,  as  spoken  of  in  a  preceding 
section,  will  materially  affect  the  cost  of  making  and 
keeping  it  in  repair. — Ed. 

Decoration  of  the  Approach. — Much  ornament 
by  means  of  trees  and.  shrubs  is  not  required  in  the 
approach,  although  a  moderate  degree  of  embellishment 
may  be  considered  necessary,  and  its  amount  should 
be  regulated  by  the  extent  and  character  of  the  domain. 
G  enerally  speaking,  nothing  more  of  this  kind  is  need- 
ful than  what  belongs  to  the  entrance-gate,  or  the  par- 
ticular portion  of  the  park  or  dressed  grounds  passed 
through.  In  relation  to  this  point,  and  particularly  in 
regard  to  the  exclusion  of  exotics,  a  good  deal  of  finical 
pedantry  has  been  exhibited  by  writers,  who  seem  to 
have  forgotten  that  the  laj-ch  and  the  horse-chestnut 
were  exotics  in  the  early  part  of  last  century.  It  may  be 
conceded  that  rhododendrons,  lilacs,  and  other  flower- 
ing shrubs  are  out  of  place  in  the  open  park  ;  but  these 
plants  are  out  of  place,  not  because  they  are  exotics, 
but  because  they  are  associated  with  the  ideas  of  culture 
and  keeping  which,  in  the  situations  referred  to,  they 
are  sure  not  to  receive.  It  is  certain  that  good  ap- 
proaches are  often  spoiled  by  excessive  decoration. 
Such  is  particularly  the  case  when  they  are  separated 
fi'om  the  pastures  on  each  side  by  slender  or  temporary 
fences.  The  slight  restraining  effect  which  these  fences 
have  on  the  continuity  of  the  park  is  much  augmented 


68  PARKS  AND  PLEASUEE-GEOTTNDS. 

when  shrubs  are  planted  along  their  edges.  Certain 
circumstances,  however,  no  doubt  warrant  a  greater 
amount  of  ornament  than  we  have  considered  to  be 
generally  necessary.  The  approach,  on  its  way  from 
the  entrance-gate  to  the  mansion-house,  may  pass  only 
through  woods  and  pleasure-grounds,  or  at  most  may 
only  skirt  the  grass  lands  of  the  park,  and  be  separated 
from  them  by  permanent  fences.  In  these  situations 
the  sides  of  the  approach,  except  where  they  are  narrow 
stripes,  afford  available  space  and  opportunity  for  col- 
lections of  exotic  trees  and  taller  shrubs ;  but  dwarf 
shrubs,  unless  required  for  the  completion  of  an  arbo- 
retum group,  should  be  reserved  for  the  flower-garden. 
;i^ote. — "We  are  delighted  at  the  good  sense  of  an 
author  who  ignores  the  affectation  so  ambitiously 
practiced  by  many  landscape-gardeners,  in  sticking  a 
park  full  of  the  meaningless  things  which  have  no  fit 
place  other  than  in  an  arboretum,  or  on  the  smoother 
grounds  about  the  mansion.  The  outer  park  is  nature's 
own  dressing  room,  filled  with  robes,  ample,  full,  and 
flowing.  There  let  the  trees  and  shrubs  native  to  the 
place  have  wide  sweep  in  luxuriant  profusion.  If  they 
be  meager  in  variety,  it  maj'-  be  filled  with  other 
kinds,  but  equally  natural  to  the  soil  and  climate.  "We 
have  seen  a  long  road,  through  a  comparatively  wild 
park,  bordered  with  choice  roses,  vines,  and  shrubbery 
held  up  by  trellises,  and  protected  by  railings,  all  out 
of  place,  and  good-keeping.  Such  should  be  for  the 
lawns,  and  pleasure-grounds,  and  they  have  no  business 
out  of  them.  The  natural  tree,  the  rugged  rock,  the 
tumbling  stream,  the  quiet  lake,  and  the  tangled  brush- 
wood, are  features  which  most  attract,  and  specially 
belong  to  the  park  alone. — Ed. 


THE   AVENUE.  69 

The  Avenue. — In  a  previous  page  it  was  said  that  the 
avenue  is  a  species  of  approach,  leading  toward  the 
house  in  a  straight  line,  and  bordered  by  parallel  rows 
of  trees.  It  may  be  asked,  when  is  this  form  of  approach 
to  be  adopted  ?  and  what  is  to  be  done  with  it  when  it 
has  been  established  ?  These  questions  are  answered  in 
our  observations  on  the  park,  along  with  some  remarks 
on  the  relation  of  the  avenue  to  the  general  scenery  of 
a  place.  At  present  it  may  be  enough  to  say  that 
avenues  are  most  effective  on  flat  surfaces,  and  that  it  is 
only  on  these,  and  perhaps  on  ground  with  a  slight  and 
imiform  inclination,  we  can  recommend  them  to  be  in 
any  case  planted.  If  the  undulations  of  the  ground 
are  but  slight,  open  avenues  may  still  be  admissible  ; 
and  these  open  avenues,  when  connected  with  the  lawns 
of  the  mansion-house,  should  be  of  considerable  breadth. 
When,  however,  they  are  formed  as  approaches,  their 
width  should  not  be  greater  than  the  height  to  which 
the  trees  forming  them  usually  grow  —  say  sixty  or 
seventy  feet  for  common  elms,  planes,  and  limes,  and 
from  seventy  to  ninety  feet  for  beeches  and  English 
elms.  If  wider,  they  will  be  deficient  in  that  stately 
and  imposing  effect  which  is  the  principal  charm  of  an 
avenue.  The  open  variety  requires  double  rows  of  trees 
on  each  side ;  and  if  these  are  planted  at  twenty  or 
twenty-five  feet  apart,  they  form  subordinate  close 
avenues,  like  the  side  aisles  of  a  Gothic  church,  and 
afford  si)aces  for  charming  shaded  walks.  The  usual 
effect  of  the  avenue  in  the  park  is  to  divide  the  land- 
scape ;  and  this,  indeed,  is  the  principal  objection  to  its 
adoption,  as  in  this  respect  it  is  almost  totally  incon- 
sistent with  the  modern  style  of  laying  out  grounds. 
There  are  sometimes  positions  near  the  entrance-gate 


70  PARK8   AND   PLEASUEE-GE0UND8. 

where  it  can  be  introduced  with  good  eifect ;  and  it 
may  be  employed  without  injury  to  the  scenery  when 
the  approach  passes  through  a  wood.  In  our  judg- 
ment, nothing  is  more  miserable  than  the  taste  which 
converts  the  bare,  ill-grown  trees  of  a  hedgerow,  which 
has  bordered  some  parish  road,  into  an  avenue  through 
whose  narrow,  irregular  line  an  approach  is  made  to 
pass.  Certainly  these  stunted  deformities  should  be 
prevented  from  dividing  the  landscape  by  the  dividing 
stroke  of  the  woodman's  axe. 

Note.  —  We  have  no  response,  otherwise  than  to 
add  our  emphatic  concurrence  in  so  sensible  a  con- 
clusion.— Ed. 

The  Fine  Approach. — The  species  of  access  to  a 
mansion-house  which  we  have  ventured  to  call  a  fine 
approach  is  seldom  found  connected  with  large  resi- 
dences or  extensive  estates,  but  not  unfrequently  with 
such  small  places  as  require  only  one  approach  and  a 
back-road.  We  m.ay  describe  it  as  a  carriage-way 
from  the  entrance  to  the  house,  so  laid  out  as  to  dis- 
play all  the  princijoal  views  and  leading  beauties  of  the 
place.  It  leaves  nothing  worth  looking  at  to  be  seen 
from  the  windows,  and  it  renders  all  further  inspection 
from  walks  or  gardens  unnecessary.  It  is  in  itself  a 
thing  of  primary  importance.  Indeed,  nothing  can 
rival  its  ambition,  except,  perhaps,  the  vanity  of  the 
individual  to  whom  it  owes  its  formation.  These  ap- 
proaches are  often  unnecessarily  prolonged.  We  have 
seen  them  following  the  boundary  of  the  property  to  a 
considerable  distance  from  the  entrance,  the  only  ob- 
jects between  them  and  the  public  road  being  the  park 
wall  and  a  belt  of  shrubs  quite  insufficient  to  deaden 
the  noise  of  carriages  outside.     In  other  places  they 


THE    FINE    APPflOACir.  71 

may  be  seen  extending  for  a  mile  or  more  tliroiigh  a 
narrow  stripe  of  trees  planted  on  the  sloping  banks  and 
knolls,  on  the  side  of  a  small  valley  or  of  a  wide  glen 
along  which  the  public  road  passes.  This  is,  indeed, 
the  favorite  position  of  the  fine  ajyjproacJi.  The  highest 
powers  of  the  designer,  who  is  rash  and  inexperienced 
enough  to  undertake  the  work,  are  called  into  exercise. 
Cuts,  and  curves,  and  gradients,  and  embankments, 
are  all  elaborated  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  the  ap- 
proach to  occupy  the  principal  points  of  view.  In  the 
limited  grounds  no  room  is  left  for  the  formation  of  a 
good  walk.  The  approach  is  walk,  and  ride,  and  every- 
thing. Seclusion  there  is  none,  except  that  the  fine 
approach  is  not  much  frequented,  people  familiar  with 
it  often  preferring  to  go  by  the  back-way  to  the  house. 
It  is  evident  that  in  such  elaborations  the  proprietor 
thinks  more  of  seeming  the  applause  of  strangers  than 
of  consulting  his  own  comfort  and  convenience.  He 
is  content  to  admire  and  enjoy  by  proxy.  In  short, 
of  all  the  follies  committed  in  the  laying  out  of  country 
residences,  the  fine  ajpjyroach  may  be  allowed  to  wear 
the  crown. 

Note. — According  most  heartily  with  our  author,  we 
have  not  a  word  to  say  at  variance  with  his  views  on 
the  affectation  of  which  any  one  who  chooses  to  indulge 
in  the  vanity  of  a  "  fine  approach  "  may  be  guilty.  It 
is  a  fortunate  circumstance  that  in  this  country,  all  the 
elements  constituting  the  attractions  of  parks  and  plea- 
sure-grounds are  to  be  found  ready  made  to  our  hands ; 
and  they  are  showered  around  us  with  a  profusion 
which  renders  a  choice  easy,  and  comparatively  unex- 
pensive.  It  is,  therefore,  in  a  sheer  wantonness  of 
prodigality,  and  an  entire  absence  of  sound  taste,  that 


Y2  PARKS   AND   PLEASUEE-GEOUNDS. 

he  wlio  wishes  to  enjoy  the  luxuries  of  a  fine  park, 
and  its  pleasure-grounds  in  their  natural  connection, 
will  seek  by  any  other  process  than  in  following  out 
the  agreeable  natural  features  of  the  place,  to  create 
them  into  a  fitness  to  his  purpose.  Bare  spots  may 
have  to  be  clothed  with  trees  and  shrubbery,  unsightly 
places  may  have  to  be  partially  leveled,  or  filled,  -and 
waste  places  made  verdant;  but  no  violence  to  the 
prevailing  features  of  the  adjoining  territory  should  be 
attempted.  It  should  look,  when  the  hand  of  man  has 
improved  it,  as  if  nature  herself  might  have  done  the 
same :  that  man  had  only  washed  her  face,  and  combed 
her  hair,  and  given  her  a  more  attractive  garb. — Ed. 


PLEASUEE-GBOUNDS   AJS'D   FLOWEE-GARDENS.  73 


CHAPTER    III. 

PLEASURE-GROUXDS  AXD  FL0WER-GARDEX3. 

Position  of  the  rieasure-grounds  —  Composition  of  the  Landscape  — 
Terraces  — Walls  —  Grass  Slopes  —  Slirubs  on  Terrace-banks  —  Stairs 
or  Terraces  —  the  Upper  Surface  of  Terraces  —  The  Flower-garden  — 
Site  of  the  Flower-garden  —  Ground  Color  —  the  Parterre  —  the  Ro- 
sary—  the  American  Garden  —  the  Mixed  Flower-garden  —  Artistical 
Decorations  —  Rockworks  —  Shelter  of  the  Flower-garden  —  Walks 
in  the  Pleasure-grounds  —  Formation  of  Lawns. 

Undee  the  designation  of  pleasure-grounds  or  dressed 
grounds  are  comprehended  those  inclosed  spaces  within 
the  park,  and  in  immediate  connection  with  the  house, 
which  receive  regular  keeping  and  dressing.  In  ordi- 
nary circumstances,  their  walks  are  cleaned  and  their 
lawns  are  cut  two  or  three  times  each  season,  and  the 
leaves  which  fall  on  them  are  cleared  off  every  winter. 
Besides  the  amount  of  labor  thus  bestowed  on  them, 
these  grounds  are  further  distinguished  from  the  wood- 
lands of  the  park  by  the  quantity  of  shrubs,  both  ever- 
green and  deciduous,  which  they  contain,  and  which 
make  up  the  bulk  of  their  underwood. 

Position  of  the  Pleasure-grounds. — These  grounds 
should  be  so  placed  as  wholly  or  partially  to  surround 
the  mansion-house.  We  would  have  said  wholly^  were 
it  not  preferable  that  the  entrance-front  should  be  in  a 
great  measure  open  to  the  park.  When  the  entrance- 
front  is  inclosed,  it  should  only  be  for  the  protection  of 
the  gravel  and  lawn  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 


74  PARKS    AXD    PLEASUKE-GEOUNDS. 

house.  The  extent  of  this  gravel  and  lawn  will,  of 
course,  be  regulated  by  the  size  of  the  whole  place.  It 
is  seldom  expedient  to  have  much  lawn  in  front  of  the 
mansion.  Generally  speaking,  it  is  better  that  the 
grazing  lands  of  the  park  should  occupy  this  position, 
and  tliat  the  scenery  on  this  side  of  the  house  should 
partake  rather  of  the  character  of  the  paric  than  of  the 
pleasure-grounds.  Being  limited,"  then,  on  the  entrance- 
front  of  the  house,  the  pleasure-grounds,  on  the  draw- 
inir-room  front  and  on  the  other  sides,  will  receive  a 
proportional  enlargement.  Their  actual  extent  must 
be  determined  by  the  nature  of  the  ground  and  the 
size  of  the  park.  Perhaps  they  may  include  all  the 
space  in  the  vicinity  of  the  house,  with  the  exception 
of  tliat  on  the  entrance-front,  from  which  may  be  had 
tlie  finest  views  in  the  park  and  in  the  surrounding 
country.  These  views  add  much  to  the  interest  and 
variety  of  tlie  grounds.  If  there  are  few  or  no  pros- 
pects of  this  kind,  the  greater  is  the  necessity  that 
the  pleasure-grounds  should  be  so  laid  out  as  to 
awaken  interest  and  to  aiford  gi-atification  within 
themselves. 

Note. — We  must  dissent  from  our  author  in  his  re- 
commendation of  "  surrounding"  the  house  Avith  the 
pleasure-grounds.  ISTo  country  house  can  be  complete 
in  its  arrangements  without  an  area  of  ground,  of  some 
extent  in  the  rear,  inclosed  and  shut  in  from  the  ob- 
servation of  strangers.  To  say  nothing  of  the  conven- 
ience to  servants  in  the  performance  of  their  various 
daily  labors,  a  part  of  which  are  almost  indispensably 
out  of  doors,  access  to  the  house-offices  in  the  rear, 
with  provision,  wood,  or  coal  wagons,  and  a  conven- 
ient contiguity  of  the  out-buildings,  demand  a  retired 


COMPOSITION    OF   THE    LANDSCAPE.  ^5 

ground  set  apart  for  domestic  use.  TTe  Lave  remarked 
more  fully  upon  this  in  our  previous  notes  on  the  posi- 
tion of  the  house  in  the  park.  With  such  exception, 
we  quite  concur  in  the  views  so  properly  expressed  in 
the  text. — Ed. 

Composition  of  the  Landscape. — The  views  which 
it  is  desirable  should  be  possessed  from  the  house  re- 
quire a  varied  arrangement  of  the  dressed  groimds. 
As  formerly  stated,  those  on  the  drawing-room  front 
should,  if  possible,  be  the  finest.  Sometimes  they  may 
all  be  included  in  one  prospect,  the  pleasure-grounds 
forming  the  foreground  of  the  picture,  and  the  park 
and  exterior  country  making  up  the  middle-ground 
and  the  distance  respectively.  In  certain  cases,  the 
whole  scene  is  necessarily  confined  to  the  pleasure- 
grounds  and  park,  and  in  others  entirely  to  the  pleasure- 
grounds  ;  but  whatever  be  the  extent  of  view,  on  the 
proper  arrangement,  and  on  the  blending  of  the  dif- 
ferent parts-  of  the  scene,  will  depend  the  success  of 
the  landscape-gardener  in  the  operations  committed  to 
him.  It  is  evident  that,  with  such  diversified  materials 
and  appliances,  a  diversity  of  treatment  will  be  neces- 
sary. When  the  middle-ground  and  the  extreme  dis- 
tance of  extensive  views  are  of  a  varied  and  interesting 
character,  it  is  seldom  expedient  to  introduce  much 
ornament  into  the  foreground;  but  if  the  middle-ffround 
is  tame  and  the  distance  uninviting,  tlie  interior  should 
be  made  as  ornamental  as  possible ;  and  the  same  effect 
should  be  aimed  at  when  the  middle  distance  is  dis- 
figured by  disagreeable  objects  which  cannot  be  wholly 
excluded  or  concealed.  When  the  whole  scene  is 
within  the  park,  and  still  more  when  it  is  wholly  within 
the  pleasure-grounds,  it  must  receive  the  more  careful 


76  PAKKS    AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

attention,  and  be  so  dealt  with  as  to  i^roduce  the  best 
effect  that  the  character  of  the  locality  will  allow. 
When  the  views  from  the  house  are  extensive,  it  is  not 
needful  that  a  large  extent  of  pleasure-ground  should 
be  spread  out  before  the  windows.  Such  breadth  of 
dressed  ground  throws  back  the  pasture-lands  of  the 
park,  and  either  conceals  or  renders  indistinct  those 
groups  of  living  and  moving  objects  Avith  which  it  is  ten- 
anted. Herds  of  deer  or  of  cattle,  and  flocks  of  sheep, 
impart  much  animation  to  the  scene,  which  should  not 
be  lost  if  it  can  possibly  be  preserved,  much  less  should 
it  be  artificially  excluded.  The  pleasure-grounds,  as 
seen  from  the  house,  should  be  formed  into  lawns, 
interspersed  with  groups  of  trees  and  shrubs,  either 
separate  or  combined.  Flower-beds  may  be  formed 
in  some  positions,  especially  where  the  view  does  not 
extend  into  the  park,  and  along  with  these  a  fountain 
or  pond  with  a  jet  d''eau^  or  an  artificial  lake,  may  be 
introduced  with  good  effect.  Flower-beds  are  very 
suitable  on  a  terrace  near  the  house.  A  small  flower- 
garden,  in  connection  with  a  boudoir,  is  also  appropri- 
ate ;  but  a  flower-garden  on  an  extensive  scale  should 
be  reserved  for  a  separate  division  of  the  pleasure- 
grounds.  In  open  spaces  in  the  grounds,  detached 
flower-beds  appear  to  be  objectionable,  as  they  do  not 
mass  well  with  the  other  groups,  as  they  lessen  the 
breadth  and  interrupt  the  continuity  of  the  lawns,  and 
being  bare  excej)t  during  a  few  months  in  summer,  are 
but  seldom  in  a  really  ornamental  state.  At  the  same 
time,  a  flower-garden,  in  a  proper  situation  and  at  a 
reasonable  distance  from  the  house,  is  a  most  desir- 
able object  of  interest,  inviting  frequent  visits  and 
affording    agreeable    walks;    and,   indeed,   extensive 


COMPOSITION   OF   THE    LANDSCAPE.  77 

pleasure-grounds   can   scarcely  be  deemed   complete 
without  one. 

Note. — In  the  composition  of  the  landscape,  every 
agreeable  object  which  the  eye  can  reach  should  be 
embraced.  A  range  of  far-off  hills  or  momitains,  or  a 
single  bold  peak  of  either,  even  if  a  partial  cutting 
away  of  the  park  forest  be  necessary  to  reach  the  view, 
will  add  greatly  to  the  interest  of  the  scenery.  An 
expanse  of  water,  bounding  the  vision  in  the  distance, 
gives  a  grandeur  of  expression  second  only  to  moun- 
tains, and  when  coupled  together,  like  a  high  prom- 
ontory shelving  down  into  a  broad  lake,  a  wide  bay, 
or  the  open  sea,  or  a  range  of  mountain  beyond  the 
water,  they  form  the  most  perfect  combination  of 
boundary  to  the  landscape. 

•  In  all  cases  where  the  park  proper  approaches  the 
house,  nothing,  after  the  due  disposition  of  trees  with 
their  intermediate  vistas  and  glades  of  open  grass,  adds 
Bo  much  spirit,  life  and  character,  as  herds  of  cattle, 
and  flocks  of  sheep.  Deer  we  exclude  from  American 
parks,  as  being  too  expensive  and  ungovernable  within 
such  inclosures  as  we  can  usually  afford.  They  may 
be  kept  in  narrow  grounds  secured  by  high  walls,  or 
fences;  but  the  scantiness  of  such  arrangement  would 
detract  from  the  effect  which  animals  of  that  character 
are  intended  to  produce.  A  wide  scope,  and  a  free 
range  are  required  by  all  semi-wild  animals,  and  with- 
out them  their  appropriate  interest  is  altogether  want- 
ing. A  herd  of  short-horned  cattle,  in  their  imposing 
massive  forms,  and  beautifully  intermingling  colors; 
or  a  group  of  clean-limbed  Devons,  with  skins  of  deep 
mahogany  ]iue,  and  graceful  contour  of  body,  will  tlirow 
a  picturesque  beauty  over  the  grounds  that  nothing 


78  PAUKS   AND    PLEASURE-GEOUNDS. 

else  can  equal ;  while  scattering  flocks  of  the  dark-faced 
southdown,  or  the  white-bodied,  broader  form  of  the 
long-wooled  sheep,  quietly  nibbling  on  the  knolls,  or 
reposing  in  the  shades,  will  fill  up  a  picture  of  perfect 
repose.  Or,  if  a  sheet,  or  stream  of  water  lie  within 
the  park,  in  the  absence  of  the  swan,  the  white  or 
brown  China,  or  the  great  African  goose,  with  their 
hio-h  curving  necks,  and  clarion  cry,  are  objects  of 
charming  interest,  as  they  sit  or  SMdm  gracefully  upon 
its  surface.  Indeed,  no  park  scenery  can  be  complete 
without  choice  cattle  and  sheep ;  and  where  water  is 
added,  its  web-footed  tenants,  to  enliven  its  presence. 
Such  are  the  objects  which  give  life  and  interest  to  the 
park  and  pleasure-ground.  The  common,  ill-bred  cat- 
tle, sheep,  and  geese  of  the  country,  give  no  ornament 
to  any  highly-kept  ground. — Ed. 

Terraces. — When  well  arranged  and  adapted  to  the 
character  of  the  locality,  terraces  are  excellent  and 
hio-hly  ornamental  accompaniments  to  the  mansion- 
house.  As  seen  externally,  there  are  few  objects  which 
add  so  much  dignity  to  the  house,  as  they  form  a  fine 
outwork  and  extended  basement,  and  impart  a  stately 
effect  and  an  imposing  breadth  to  the  whole  group  of 
buildino-s.  They  also  afford  an  admirable  outset  to 
the  work  of  decoration  in  the  vicinity,  and  serve  to 
connect  the  house  and  the  grounds  in  a  manner  which 
could  hardly  be  accomplished  by  a  lawn,  however 
highly  ornamented.  Internally,  they  may  be  made  a 
good  architectural  foreground  to  the  scenery  as  viewed 
from  the  house.  They  may  also  be  used  to  conceal  a 
one-sided  slope,  or  a  twist  in  the  ground,  which  may 
have  a  disagreeable  effect  as  seen  from  the  windows. 
To  a  house  situated  near  a  steep,  abrupt  declivity, 


TERRACES.  79 

terraces  with  suitable  walls  may  be  not  only  ornamental, 
but  almost  indispensable  to  the  protection  of  the  in- 
mates when  walking  in  that  part  of  the  grounds.  AVith- 
out  them,  indeed,  in  such  situations,  scarcely  any  thing 
in  the  way  of  ornament  or  convenience  can  be  effected. 
The  adoption  of  terraces  should  be  suggested  by  the 
nature  of  the  ground  and  the  character  of  the  house, 
rather  than  by  any  considerations  immediately  con- 
nected with  themselves.  Nothing  is  worse  than  a 
terrace  out  of  place.  We  generally  do  not  expect  to 
find  them  on  very  flat  surfaces,  although,  in  certain 
circumstances,  a  single  terrace  of  low  elevation  has  a 
good  effect.  On  slight  declivities,  two  or  three  feet  of 
descent  will  afford  a  suitable  opportunity  for  intro- 
ducing this  species  of  ornament.  Where  there  is  no 
slope,  the  terrace  may  nevertheless  be  introduced  by 
raising  the  base  of  the  house  sufficiently  at  its  first 
erection,  and  then  by  carrying  the  earth  that  is  neces- 
sary for  the  embankment.  AVhere  there  can  be  only 
a  small  breadth  of  dressed  grounds  between  the  house 
and  the  j^^i'k,  the  terrace  wall  may  form  the  fence  of 
these  grounds,  and  may  be  more  in  keeping  with  the 
house  than  one  of  a  lighter  construct! o]i.  The  most 
important  position  of  the  terrace  is  on  the  drawing- 
room  front;  but  it  is  not  necessarily  confined  to  that, 
as  it  may  be  extended  along  the  ends  of  the  house, 
and  even  of  the  ofiices,  if  these  latter  touch  the  side  of 
the  dressed  grounds.  Terraces  should  be  considered 
architectural  formations  of  the  grounds :  as  such,  their 
leading  lines  should  be  level,  whether  they  are  bounded 
by  walls  or  by  banks ;  and  these  lines  should  also  bo 
parallel,  and  especially  when  there  are  more  than  one 
terrace  on  the  same  slope.     The  upper  surfaces,  too, 


80  PARKS    AND    PLEASUKE-GKOUNDS. 

slionld  be  strictly  parallel  in  their  planes :  any  deviation 
in  this  respect  gives  the  whole  a  twisted  appearance, 
and  suggests  the  idea  of  their  having  been  executo<i 
by  incompetent  workmen.  There  are  sundry  points 
connected  with  terraces,  such  as  the  breadth  of  their 
platforms,  their  height,  the  number  on  the  same  de- 
clivity, their  junction  with  the  natural  banks  into  which 
they  may  run,  the  angles  of  inclination  when  they  are 
sloped,  and  various  other  matters,  respecting  which  no 
general  precepts  can  be  given  that  would  be  applicable 
in  all  cases.  These  must  be  determined  by  careful  study 
on  the  spot,  and  repeated  consultation  of  the  eye.  We 
may  remark,  however,  that  the  length  of  a  tei-race  is 
always  a  more  important  property  than  its  breadth.  A 
broad  terrace,  indeed ;  is  always  desirable,  but  unless 
it  is  more  or  less  elongated,  it  will  seem  to  degenerate 
into  a  broad  platform.  The  latter  form,  however, 
when  it  is  avowedly  such,  and  does  not  pretend  to  the 
usual  character  of  a  terrace,  is  not  an  inferior  arrange- 
ment, and  may  be  made  an  object  of  considerable 
interest. 

Terkace  Walls. — These  are  retaining  walls,  either 
with  a  cope  brought  up  to  the  level  of  the  platform,  or 
witli  a  ])arapet  or  balustrade  rising  above  the  surface 
of  the  terrace.  In  either  case,  their  main  use  being  to 
support  the  mass  of  earth  behind  them,  they  seldom 
admit  of  much  variety  or  ornament  in  their  construc- 
tion, except  when  the  architecture  of  the  house  requires 
a  decorated  parapet  or  balustrade.  A  low  terrace, 
unless  in  peculiar  circumstances,  scarcely  calls  for 
either;  but  when  the  retaining  wall  is  high,  a  parapet 
is  indispensable  for  the  protection  of  persons  walking 
on  the  platform.     The  best  substitute  for  a  parapet  is 


GKASS   SLOPES.  81 

a  low,  broad  hedge,  or  a  border  of  shrubs  formed  along 
the  edge  of  the  terrace :  in  some  cases  the  border  may 
be  shaped  into  a  sloping  bank  of  considerable  breadth, 
and  the  height  of  the  wall  proportionall}^  reduced.  The 
union,  in  the  same  terrace,  of  the  retaining  wall  and 
the  sloping  grass  bank,  seldom  produces  a  good  effect. 
Their  most  suitable  combination  is  when  the  wall  is 
made  to  support  the  lower  portion  of  the  bank ;  but 
when  this  plan  is  adopted,  neither  the  wall  nor  the 
bank  sliould  be  high.  Kegularly  sloped  grass  banks, 
surmounted  by  a  parapet,  have  a  peculiarly  incon- 
gruous appearance :  the  walls  or  parapets  look  as  if 
they  wanted  a  base,  and  the  banks  seem  to  have  been 
piled  up  against  the  lower  parts  of  the  walls  to  hide 
deformities.  As  the  parapets  appear  to  rest  on  the 
edge  of  a  sloping  surface,  they  present  the  very  image 
of  instability  ;  besides,  on  the  top  of  a  grass  bank  they 
are  not  ordinarily  required  for  protection,  nor,  indeed, 
for  any  useful  purpose.  In  short,  they  are  altogether 
in  bad  taste. 

Note.  —  In  the  severer  latitudes  of  our  northern 
states,  terraces  should  be  cautiously  attempted,  and 
adopted  only  after  mature  deliberation.  In  loose  soils, 
terrace  slopes  should  lie  at  easy  angles  when  grassed 
over,  and  secured  with  heavy  walls  when  uprightly 
faced.  Except  in  precipitous  grounds,  the  formation 
of  terraces"  to  any  extent  cannot  be  highly  recom- 
mended. Flooding  rains  tear  them,  and  deep  frosts 
heave  them  out  of  place.  It  is  evident  our  author  is 
not  passionately  iA  love  with  them,  even  in  the  less 
frosty  climate  of  Britain. — Ed. 

Grass  Slopes. — Terraces  are  often  faced  with  grass 
slopes  instead  of  walls;  and  though  the  resulting  eftect 


82  TAKES    AND    PLEASUKE-GKOUNDS. 

is  inferior,  these  slopes  are  very  suitable  for  places 
where  a  plain  stj-le  of  decoration  is  required,  and  par- 
ticularly at  a  distance  from  the  niansion-honse,  as  on 
the  sides  of  bowling-greens  or  in  flower-gardens,  and 
in  the  more  remote  parts  of  the  pleasure-grounds.     It 
must  be  admitted  that  a  terrace  with  a  regularly  formed 
grass  bank  of  considerable  depth  has  mostly  a  bad  ap- 
pearance.    This  arises  partly  from  its  surface  being 
so  plain  as  to  have  no  variety,  and  partly  from  the 
absence  of  a  diversity  in  light  and  shade,  particularly 
in  those  slopes  which  face  toward  the  south.    A  long, 
natural  slope  of  grass  is  often  very  beautiful ;   but,  on 
examination,  it  will  be  found  that  it  is  free  from  that 
dead,    mechanical   uniformity    common    in    artificial 
works.     Perhaps,  however,  light  has  the  greatest  in- 
fluence in  this  respect  —  a  fact  very  much  overlooked 
in  landscape-gardening.     The  surface  of  the  slope  is 
turned  up  toward  the  light ;   and  so  it  wants  that  va- 
riety of  shade  which  even  a  plain  wall  exhibits  at  dif- 
ferent periods  of  the  day.     Accordingly  it  is  found 
that,  when  facing  the  north,  and  in  an  inferior  degree 
when  facing  the  east  and  west,  these  grass  slopes  are 
always  more  effective  than  when  turned  to  the  south, 
for  in  this  last  position  they  are  seldom  seen  in  shade, 
and  consequently  have  a  bare  and  bald  efibct.    Never- 
theless, a  long,  deep,  grassy  slope,  closely  shaven  and 
neatly  kept,  is  always  popular,  however  ineffective  it 
may  be  in  the  eye  of  refined  taste.     There  are  some 
means  of  relieving  its  monotony,  which  we  shall  indi- 
cate in  the  following  paragraphs. — Ed; 

Shrubs  on  Teerace  Banks. — Long,  bare  slopes,  and 
particularly  when  there  are  irregularities  of  surface 
which  could  be  removed  only  with  great  labor  and 


STAIRS   ON   TEKEACES.  83 

expense,  should  be  \vliolly  or  partially  covered  with 
shrubs.  When  there  is  a  considerable  height  of  bank 
and  breadth  of  slope,  several  eflective  terraces  may  be 
funned  along  the  bank  with  walls,  borders,  and  walks, 
and  intermediate  slopes  planted  with  laurels,  constantly 
kept  down  by  pruning  to  the  height  of  two  or  three 
feet.  The  interest  and  variety  of  these  terraces  arc 
increased  by  scattering  over  them  a  few  ornamental 
trees  and  shrubs,  which  may  be  allowed  to  assume 
their  natural  form,  but  should  not  be  introduced  in 
such  numbers,  or  be  permitted  to  grow  to  such  a 
magnitude,  as  to  injure  the  low  shrubs.  These  banks 
of  low^-evergreens  are  more  suited  for  southern  slopes 
than  grass  is,  as  they  are  more  permanently  evergreen, 
and,  from  their  greater  intricacy,  have  more  variety 
of  light  and  shade  than  a  closely-mown  surface  of 
grass  can  have. 

Staies  on  Teeeaces. — Flights  of  steps  form  an  ex- 
cellent means  of  decorating  terraces.  AVhen  connected 
with  walls,  they  are  susceptible  of  a  considerable 
degree  of  ornament.  Stairs  on  grass  slopes  afford  less 
scope  for  decoration  ;  vases  j^laced  on  their  sides  may 
be  deemed  the  most  proper  objects  for  this  purpose. 
Stairs  should  be  placed  at  the  ends  of  terraces,  as  well 
as  at  their  centers ;  they  may  be  omitted  in  the  latter 
position,  but  if  they  are  only  found  there,  they  have  a 
sensible  effect  in  diminishing  the  appearance  of  length 
in  the  terraces,  by  dividing  them  into  halves.  Prop- 
erly, stairs  should  be  in  connection  with  walks,  but 
they  may  sometimes  be  introduced  without  the  latter. 
In  either  case,  when  there  is  more  than  one  tier  of 
terraces,  the  flights  of  stairs  should  be  successively 
carried   fi-om   the   top   to   the   bottom   of  the   whole 


84  PARKS    AND    PLKASUKE-GROUXDS. 

series.  Any  thing  short  of  this  produces  an  un- 
comfortable feeling,  as  if  some  of  the  flights  of  staii-s 
had  been  misplaced  through  perversity,  or  lost  by 
mistake. 

Note. — We  can  imagine  various  more  important 
objects  on  -^hich  the  same  amount  of  money  can  be 
expended,  in  ornamenting  parks,  or  pleasure-grounds, 
than  stairs  connected  with  terraces.  That  now  and 
then  such  things  may  be  necessary,  and  even  orna- 
mental, is  probable;  but  wherever  they — terraces  and 
stairs,  alike  —  can  be  avoided,  their  omission  should 
be  no  source  of  regret.  They  are  expensive  to  make, 
at  the  first,  and  are  perpetually  getting  out  of  place, 
in  our  frosty  wintei'S,  afterward, — Ed. 

Upper  Surfaces  of  Terraces. — We  shall  suppose 
that  the  architectm-al  variety  of  terrace  has  been  prop- 
erly constructed,  with  a  good  wall  in  front,  and  a  broad 
level  above;  the  latter  should  be  traversed  by  two 
spacious  walks,  —  one  near  the  house,  and  the  other 
along  the  w^all.  The  intermediate  space  is  to  be  occu- 
pied with  flower-beds  cut  out  of  grass,  or  placed  in 
gravel,  with  box  or  stone  edgings.  Fountains,  dials, 
vases,  and  other  architectural  ornaments,  may  be  in- 
troduced with  excellent  effect.  These  may  compose 
groups  of  themselves,  or  be  made  the  centers  of  differ- 
ent groups  of  flower-beds.  The  character  and  arrange- 
ment of  these  objects  should  be  in  keeping  with  the 
style  of  the  buildings  around.  In  the  case  of  terraces 
faced  with-  grass  slopes,  the  walks  should  be  arranged 
as  in  the  other  variety.  The  flower-beds  should  be 
laid  out  in  grass-plots,  or  with  broad  verges,  or  with 
raised  stone  edgings  round  the  figures  cut  in  the  grass. 
Small  gravel  walks,  with  box  edgings,  do  not  suit  this 


THE    FLOWER-GARDEN.  85 

style  of  terrace.  Stone  blocks  supporting  vases  may 
be  ranged  along  the  tops  of  the  banks,  and  also  laurels 
grown  in  boxes,  and  trained  to  represent  the  orange- 
trees  used  for  this  purpose  on  the  continent.  TLe 
^ther  processes  of  ornament  are  much  the  same  as 
those  referred  to  above,  only,  perhaps,  they  should  be 
carried  out  in  a  plainer  and  lighter  style. 

The  Flowee-gaeden. — Among  the  most  impor- 
tant and  interesting  portions  of  the  pleasure-grounds 
is  the  flower-garden,  when  the  place  is  extensive 
enough  to  afford  room  for  its  being  formed  into  a 
separate  department.  In  small  residences,  the  whole 
of  the  flower-garden  may  be  close  to  the  house ;  but 
in  those  of  considerable  magnitude,  it  is  always  desir- 
able that  it  should  occupy  a  distinct  section  of  the 
dressed  grounds.  In  both  cases,  care  should  be  taken 
to  bring  it  into  harmony  with  the  general  scenery,  of 
which,  indeed,  it  should  form  a  constituent,  though  a 
more  highly  and  minutely-finished  part.  On  this 
account,  the  principles  which  regulate  the  formation 
of  the  dressed  grounds  generally,  should  also  be  held 
as  applicable,  with  slight  modifications,  to  the  flower- 
garden.  That  garden,  whether  geometrical  or  other- 
wisG,  should  be  so  arranged  as  not  only  to  compose  an 
effective  whole,  but  also  to  exhibit  such  secondary  and 
minor  grouping  as  will  produce  good  individual  groups 
in  its  divisional  sections,  when  these  are  seen  in  posi- 
tions from  which  the  whole  cannot  be  comprehended. 
From  want  of  conformity  with  this  principle,  flower- 
gardens  have  sometimes  a  fine  effect  when  seen  from 
one  or  two  leading  points  of  view;  but  when  examined 
in  detail,  they  lose  all  their  interest,  except  what  arises 
from  individual  plants,  or  masses  of  flowers  and  shrubs. 


86  PAEKS   AND   PLEASUEE-GEOUNDS. 

Effective  secondary  and  minor  grouping  not  only  adds 
to  the  beauty  of  fine  plants,  but  very  much  improves 
the  appearance  of  those  which  scarcely  deserve  that 
name. 

Site  of  the  Flowee-gakden. — Convenience  of 
access  requires  that  the  flower-garden  should  be  at  no 
great  distance  from  the  house.  It  may  be  separated 
from  the  other  grounds  by  trees  and  shrubs,  and  if  the 
kitchen-gardens  are  not  remote,  it  may  take  an  inter- 
mediate position  between  these  and  the  house.  The 
site  should  be  warm,  sunny  and  dry,  and  well  shel- 
tered, though  not  shaded.  It  should  be  remembered 
that  the  beauty  of  the  flower-garden  arises  more  from 
its  graceful  arrangement  and  superior  culture,  than 
from  fine  views  existing  without  its  boundary.  Such 
views,  then,  are  not  necessary  to  complete  it,  and  a 
seeking  after  them  may  deprive  the  garden  of  that 
shelter  which  is  absolutely  indispensable  to  the  suc- 
cessful cultivation  of  fine  plants.  This  circumstance 
should  be  kept  in  mind,  both  in  the  selection  of  the 
site,  and  in  the  laying  out  of  the  component  parts. 

The  Geound  Coloe  of  the  flower-garden,  and  of 
its  walks,  has  a  considerable  influence  on  the  effect  of 
its  arrangements,  and,  as  it  varies,  sometimes  leads  to 
the  adoption  of  different  styles  of  gardening.  Inde- 
pendentl}''  of  the  plants,  there  may  be  said  to  be  only 
three  main  varieties  of  ground-coloring  in  flower-gar- 
dens, viz:  the  green  of  the  grassy  turf,  the  black  or 
dark  brown  of  the  cultivated  soil,  and  the  tints  of  the 
gravel,  varying  in  particular  cases  from  bright  brown 
to  bluish  gray;  and  the  extent  to  which  each  of  these 
colors  is  visible,  either  apart  or  in  combination,  gives 
a  distinct  exiDression  to  the  whole  scene.     The  flower- 


THE    GROUND    COLOR,  8Y 

garden  may  be  formed  with  walks,  borders,  arid 
flower-plots,  without  anv  intermingling  of  grass  turf, 
and,  if  well  laid  out,  and  kept  in  good  order,  it  has, 
in  summer  and  autumn,  when  the  ground  is  covered 
with  plan-ts,  a  rich  and  varied  effect ;  but  at  other  sea- 
sons it  has  a  bare  and  stnpped  appearance,  and,  pre- 
senting little  else  than  the  somber  hue  of  the  naked 
ground,  exhibits  scarcely  aught  that  can  interest  or 
attract.  On  the  other  hand,  a  flower-garden  formed 
on  a  ground-work  of  grass  lawn,  with  walks  and  bor- 
ders well  arranged  and  attended  to,  has  at  all  seasons 
a  clothed  effect ;  and  though  in  winter  the  grass  has  a 
less  lively  tint,  yet  it  still  looks  like  a  carpeted  apart- 
ment with  some  of  its  more  showy  decorations  awant- 
ing.  The  flower-garden  without  grass  is,  then,  like  a 
liouse  which  has  not  only  lost  its  carpets,  but  nearly 
its  whole  furniture.  We  do  not  wish  unduly  to  dej^re- 
ciate  the  one  style  of  garden,  and  to  exalt  the  other 
beyond  its  merits.  In  the  garden  composed  entirely 
of  walks,  and  borders,  and  flower-plots,  a  much  greater 
number  and  variety  of  plants  may  be  grown,  and  very 
beautiful  scenes  may  be  produced  by  means  of  these, 
together  with  flowering  shrubs  and  evergreens.  But 
the  grass  flower-garden,  from  the  simplicity  and  quiet 
repose  of  its  well-arranged  lawns,  has  a  much  finer 
effect  at  all  seasons.  The  color  of  the  walks,  taken  in 
connection  with  their  number  and  breadth,  produces 
an  effect,  more  or  less  marked,  on  the  flower-garden. 
Dark,  dingy  colors,  on  the  one.  hand,  and  bright,  glar- 
ing tints,  on  the  other,  are  ecpially  to  be  avoided  ;  those 
of  a  warm  shade,  such  as  light  sienna — perhaps  the 
finest  of  all  —  should  be  chosen,  when  they  can  be 
liad.     The   reddish  yellow  of  the  Kensington  gravel 


88  PAKKS    AND    I'LEASUEE  GKOUN'DS. 

Las  deservedly  made  it  a  favorite.  In  the  small  divi- 
sional walks  in  the  flower-garden,  a  variety  of  tints 
may  be  introduced ;  but  violent  contrasts  should  be 
avoided,  and  in  the  larger  walks  a  more  uniform  color 
ought  to  be  maintained,  as  contributing  to  the  best 
general  effect. 

The  Paetekre,  both  ancient  and  modern,  may  be 
described  as  a  geometrical  flower-garden,  laid  out  on  a 
flat  surface,  and,  in  addition  to  its  furniture  of  plants, 
adorned  with  a  variety  of  artistical  objects  suited  to 
its  style  and  character.  The  most  proper  site  for  a 
parterre  is  the  platform  of  a  terrace,  or  some  lower 
level,  on  which  its  whole  arrangement  can  easily  be 
seen  at  once  from  an  adjacent  elevated  position.  Un- 
less it  is  placed  on  such  a  site,  the  effect  of  its  numer- 
ous figures  will  be  in  a  great  measure  lost,  and  it  will 
appear  more  a  piece  of  entangled  complication,  than 
a  well-ordered  and  nicely-balanced  geometrical  design, 
which,  from  its  very  nature,  it  is  intended,  and  there- 
fore ought  to  be.  The  ancient  parterre  frequently  cov- 
ered a  large  surface.  It  had  its  divisional  sections  so 
arranged  that  one  side  or  end  was  made  the  exact 
counterpart  of  the  other,  and  all  its  allej^s  and  flour- 
ishes were  repeated  with  the  utmost  j^recision.  Some 
of  the  sections  were  large  and  plain,  and  v/ere  intended 
for  the  reception  of  plants ;  while  others  were  cut  into 
an  infinite  variety  of  shapes  and  traceries,  in  which 
the  edgings,  the  color  of  the  soil  and  sand  with  which 
the  compartments  were  filled,  and  the  tints  of  the 
alleys  by  which  they  were  surrounded,  all  went  to 
make  up  the  general  picture.  The  inherent  sameness 
of  this  style  of  gardening  no  doubt  led  to  these  extrav- 
agant attempts  at  intricacy;  and  the  same  result  was 


THE    TAKTERRE.  89 

aided  by  the  comparative  paucity  of  fine  plants  which 
existed  when  parterres  were  introduced.  Some  at- 
tempts have  been  recently  made  to  revive  this  style 
in  its  original  perfection;  but  when  it  is  considered 
how  difficult  it  is  to  adapt  designs,  intended  for  spaces 
of  six  or  eight  acres,  to  pieces  of  ground  about  one- 
eighth  of  that  size,  we  cannot  be  surprised  that  they 
have  uniformly  tailed.  Besides,  the  ancient  style  is 
entirely  out  of  harmony  with  the  modern  taste  in  re- 
lation to  all  the  other  component  parts  of  a  country 
residence.  We  might  as  well  propose  to  convert  a 
modern  drawing-room,  with  all  its  elegances,  into  a 
baronial  hall  of  the  fifteenth  century.  The  modern 
parterre  is  not  quite  so  complicated  in  its  figures,  even 
when  cut  out  of  turf,  in  which  case  it  is  most  akin  to 
that  of  the  ancient  forms.  "When  formed  of  borders, 
with  box  or  other  edgings,  it  is  intended  to  be  filled 
with  plants,  and  may  be  made  a  place  of  considerable 
beauty.  In  its  geometrical  forms  it  still  requires  as 
nice  adjustment  as  ever;  but  the  interest  is  not  now 
made  to  center  wholly,  or  in  great  part,  in  its  con- 
figurations and  traceries.  The  principal  aim  of  such 
scenes  should  be,  not  the  display  of  the  artisfs  ill- 
directed  ingenuity,  but  the  exhibition  of  fine  plants, 
which,  in  their  present  numbers  and  beauty,  afibrd 
abundant  materials  for  the  adornment  of  flower-gar- 
dens. Annuals  and  green-house  plants  are  chiefly 
required  for  the  summer  and  autumn  decoration  of 
parterres ;  but  a  supply  of  evergreens  and  vernal  plants 
should  be  kept  in  pots,  to  fill  up  the  vacant  beds  in 
winter  and  spring.  A  due  attention  to  these  expedi- 
ents will  maintain  in  ih%  parterre  a  permanently 
clothed  appearance,  and  will  preclude  that  bare  and 


90  PAEKS   AND   PLEASTTRE-GROTTNDS. 

uninviting  aspect  which  it  would  otherwise  present  at 
certain  seasons. 

The    Eosaky   is   one   of   the   departments   of    the 
flower-garden,  deriving  its  name  from  the  beautiful 
flower  to  whose  culture  it  is  specially  devoted,  and,  as 
such,  possessing  much  interest  and  beauty.     Of  late 
years,  it  has  deservedly  received  increased  attention 
and  favor.     We  would  not,  indeed,  banish  the  rose- 
border,  the  tree  or  pillar  roses,  and  the  rose  treillage, 
from  the  terrace  or  flower-garden  ;  but  we  cannot  help 
viewing  a  distinct  and  elegant  "garden  of  roses"  as 
not  the  least  interesting  addition  that  can  be  made  to 
pleasure-grounds.     The  number  and  variety  of  fine 
roses  now  in  cultivation  seem  to  demand  a  separate 
locality,  and  as  there  are  many  autumnal  flowering 
kinds,  the  season  of  bloom  may  be  prolonged  from 
the  middle  of  June  to  the  early  frosts  of  winter.     The 
rosary  requires  a  good,  strong,  loamy  or  clayey  soil, 
over  a  dry  subsoil,  and  a  sunny  and  sheltered  site.     It 
may   either  occupy   a   section   of  the  flower-garden, 
properly  so  called,  or  may  find  a  place  on  some  warm 
lawn  in  the  dressed  grounds.     In  both  cases,  it  must 
have  an  inclosure  sufficient  to  exclude  rabbits   and 
hares;  but  the  external  treillage- work  used   tor  that 
purpose  may  be  made  to  conduce  to  the  decoration  of 
a  lawn.     Internally,  it  is  generally  laid  out  somewliat 
in  the  geometrical  parterre  style,  but  there  is  no  abso- 
lute necessity  for  these  forms.     It  may  also  be  com- 
posed of  beds  in  grass,  with  suitable  gravel  walks,  or 
of  borders  and  walks  without  grass,  as  may  be  best 
adapted  to  the  site,  or  most  agreeable  to  the  taste  of 
the  proprietor. 

J^Qte. — Amid   all  the  flowers  which  beautify  and 


THE   AMEKICAN   GAKDEN.  91 

enliven  the  earth,  in  sweetness,  pnrity,  and  fragrance, 
none  can  approach  the  rose.  The  most  pains-taking 
labors  of  the  naturalist,  and  the  skillfulest  combina- 
tions of  the  botanist  in  hybridizing  and  perfecting  the 
finest  of  all  other  flowers,  have  never  yet  produced  a 
rival  to  its  simple,  stainless  beauty.  ISTo  place  can 
be  complete  without  its  "rosary,"  gracefully  disposed 
and  highly  cultivated.  We  commend  it,  as  one  of  the 
most  gratefiil  objects  of  attention,  to  the  female  in- 
mates of  the  dwelling.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to 
remark,  that  the  rosary  should  be  within  the  imme- 
diate view  of  the  windows  of  the  best  and  most  fre- 
quented apartments  of  the  house. — Ed. 

The  American  Garden  is  another  special  depart- 
ment of  the  flower-garden,  and  is  consecrated  to  the 
growth  of  those  shrubs  and  other  flowering  plants 
which  thrive  best  in  a  peaty  soil.  It  by  no  means 
holds  good  that  all  these  plants  are  natives  of  America, 
though  undoubtedly  the  greater  part  of  them  come 
from  that  continent.  We  refer  to  the  rhododendrons, 
azaleas,  kalmias,  andromedas,  etc.,  which,  growing 
spontaneously  in  the  temperate  regions  of  both  the  old 
continent  and  the  new,  and  being  sufliciently  hardy 
to  endure  the  climate  of  Great  Britain,  contribute 
very  largely  to  the  beauty  of  our  gardens  and  dressed 
grounds.  It  is  desirable  that  they  should  have  a  sep- 
arate department  allotted  to  them;  but  they  should 
not  be  confined  to  it,  for  they  maybe  scattered  through- 
out all  the  shrubberies  in  the  place.  When  in  a  dis- 
tinct locality,  and  well  arranged,  tire  xVraerican  garden 
may  be  made  the  most  permanently  evergreen  portion 
of  the  grounds,  and  therefore  may  not  inaptly  be  de- 
nominated the  Pleasure-ground  Winter  Garden.     Aa 


92  PAEKS   AND   PLEASCKE-GROUXDS. 

such,  it  should  contain  glazed  structures,  in  which  the 
heaths  of  the  Cape,  the  rhododendrons  of  India,  and 
the  azaleas  of  China,  may  find  a  climate  and  receive 
a  culture  suited  to  their  natural  habits.  Manj  plants 
in  the  American  garden  do  not  necessarily  require  a 
moist  peat  soil ;  they  may  be  grown  to  great  perfection 
in  a  healthy  sand,  in  a  sandy  loam,  or  sandy  clay,  or 
in  a  vegetable  earth  composed  of  the  decayed  leaves 
of  trees.  They  do  not  thrive  in  common  garden-soil. 
The  American  garden  may  be  either  a  section  of  the 
flower-garden,  or  may  be  formed  in  some  detached 
spot  on  one  of  the  lawns.  If  the  site  is  naturally  suited 
for  this  class  of  plants,  some  expense  may  be  saved 
in  the  formation  of  a  proper  soil.  Portions  of  the 
site  may  be  slightly  shaded  with  advantage,  but  should 
not,  at  least  in  the  northern  parts  of  the  island,  be 
naturally  damp.  The  hybrid  rhododendrons,  which 
have  been  raised  from  the  tree  rhododendrons  of  India, 
though  not  quite  hardy  in  many  localities,  may  yet  be 
grown  very  generally,  if  planted  in  warm  and  shel- 
tered positions.  As  these  varieties  bloom  late  in 
spring  and  early  in  summer,  their  flowers  attain  a 
greater  beauty  if  their  flower-buds  are  protected  from 
the  vernal  frosts  by  some  temjjorary  awning  or  light 
glass  covering.  Happily,  many  new  and  hardier  sorts 
are  now  introduced  every  year. — American  gardens 
assume  a  variety  of  forms.  They  may  be  formed 
either  with  small  intervening  lawns  or  without  them. 
They  are  generally. laid  out  on  grass  ;  but  as  the  plants 
they  contain  are  mostly  evergreens,  that  ground- 
w^ork  is  not  so  necessary  as  in  the  rosary  and  flower- 
garden. 

Note. — The  "American"  garden  is  ours,  of  course, 


THE  :mixi:d  flowkr-gakden.  93 

and  -sve  need  Yittle  foreign  instrnction  as  to  the  varie- 
ties of  plants  with  wljich  to  embellish  it.  In  the  com- 
bination and  arrangement  of  the  various  trees,  shrubs, 
and  flowers  with  which  it  is  planted,  the  same  direc- 
tions will  apply  that  govern  the  other  garden  gronnds. 
Yet,  in  the  soils  most  congenial  to  the  field  or  forest 
shrubbery  that  may  be  introduced,  their  favorite  local- 
ities should  be  consulted,  and  peaty,  sandy,  or  loamy 
eai-ths  provided,  as  may  be  required.  For  detailed 
instruction  in  these,  American  authorities  are  the 
safest  guides. — Ed. 

The  Mixed  Flowek-gakden  is  one  in  which  the 
above-mentioned  special  departments  are  not  kept  dis- 
tinct, but  in  which  the  inmates  of  the  parterre,  the 
rosary,  the  American  garden,  and  other  classes  of 
flowers  and  shrubs,  are  all  mingled  together  in  agree- 
able variety.  To  these  may  be  added  a  number  of 
artistical  decorations.  It  is  certainly  the  most  effec- 
tive arrangement,  when  all  seasons  are  taken  into  con- 
sideration. "When  laid  out  in  a  superior  style,  it 
should  be  made  the  most  highly-decorated  scene  con- 
nected with  the  residence,  whether  its  place  is  imme- 
diately adjacent  to  the  mansion  or  is  withdrawn  into 
a  more  remote  division  of  the  pleasure-ground.  In  a 
work  like  the  present,  we  cannot  offer  definite  plans  ^ 
for  this  species  of  flower-garden;  indeed,  these  plans 
may  be  as  varied  and  numerous  as  the  diversified  cir- 
cumstances of  places  or  the  varying  tastes  of  different 
proprietors.  We  may  remark,  however,  that  the  liv- 
ing occupants  of  the  mixed  flower-garden  should  be  so 
arranged,  that  while  they  fill  certain  grouped  beds 
with  annuals,  green-house  plants,  and  roses,  they 
should  be  so  placed  as  not  to  detract  from  the  general 


94  TAEKS   AND    PLEASUEE-GKOUNDS. 

effect  of  the  scene  when  their  respective  beds  are 
empty,  or  when  the  phants  are  small  or  in  a  state  of 
decay.  Grass  is  the  most  suitable  groundwork  for 
gardens  of  this  description ;  but  some  of  its  groups  of 
flower-beds  may  be  intersected  by  walks  bordered 
with  edgings  of  box  or  low  flowers ;  and  this,  by  in- 
creasing the  variety,  will  add  to  the  general  effect. 
Terraces  are  admissible  only  when  consistent  with  the 
natural  form  of  tlie  ground.  They  should  be  con- 
nected with  the  conservatories,  or  other  plant-houses, 
when  these  structures  are  erected  in  the  flower-garden, 
and  in  that  case  they  may  be  faced  with  walls,  and 
may  receive  considerable  architectural  decoration. 
Apart  from  such  associations,  they  are  better  formed 
with  grass  slopes.  Both  forms  afford  good  points  for 
viewing  the  riches  of  Flora  spread  out  below,  foun- 
tains, pieces  of  water,  dials,  vases,  etc.,  may  also  be 
introduced,  either  grouped  together,  or  made  the  cen- 
ters of  figures  or  clusters  of  figures  allotted  to  the 
growth  of  flowering  plants  and  shrubs.  Some  of  these 
means  of  ornament  demand  a  sej)arate  and  more  de- 
tailed notice. 

•Artistical  Decoeations. — Yases  and  statuary  form 
admirable  ornaments  of  flower-gardens,  when  fine  in 
themselves  and  when  well  arranged ;  but  the  latter 
condition  is  somewhat  difilcult  to  fulfill,  and  therefore 
requires  attentive  and  tasteful  management.  Yases 
are  more  adapted  to  geometrical  arrangements.  They 
are  peculiarly  well  suited  for  terraces,  on  which,  how- 
ever, they  should  harmonize  with  the  architectural 
forms  of  surrounding  objects.  They  mnj  be  placed 
either  singly,  or  with  groups  of  flower-beds,  in  the 
more  irregular  styles  of  designing.    The  employment 


AKTISTICAL    DECORATIONS.  95 

of  statuary  in  flower-gardens  and  dressed  grounds  is 
a  much  more  difficult  subject.  It  must  be  owned  that, 
iu  this  country,  it  has  seldom  a  very  satisfactory  effect, 
partly  from  the  severity  of  our  climate,  and  partly 
from  the  want  of  those  associations  with  antiquities 
and  architecture  which  make  Italy,  as  it  were,  the 
native  home  of  statues.  To  our  taste,  scarcely  any 
thing  seems  more  uncomfortably  out  of  place  than 
black  or  white  painted  figures  peeping  forth  from  a 
group  or  mass  of  shrubs.  Indeed,  the  less  that  is  seen 
of  them  in  such  circumstances,  the  better ;  and  they 
would  be  often  well  away  altogether.  Statues  should 
always  be  in  connection  with  architecture ;  on  ter- 
races they  may  be  appropriately  introduced,  along 
with  fountains,  as  the  centers  of  primary  or  secondary 
groups  of  flower-beds.  We  should  hesitate  to  distrib- 
ute them  singly  throughout  the  grounds,  unless  the 
whole  place  has  a  more  architectural  complexion  than 
is  common  in  this  country. 

Note. — The  good  sense  of  our  author,  in  excluding 
ordinary  statuary  from  ornamental  grounds,  is  to  be 
commended.  It  certainly  has  little  fitness  to  an  Amer- 
ican climate.  Vases  are  appropriate  when  properly 
disposed.  Earthen  vases  should  be  taken  under  shel- 
ter in  winter,  as  the  frosts  will  spoil  them ;  and  iron 
ones,  in  imitation,  protected  against  filling  with  water. 
All  vases,  indeed,  should  have  a  hole  in  the  bottom, 
to  pass  oft'  the  water  that  may  fall  into  them.  They 
may  be  corked,  when  required  to  hold  water  or  earth 
for  the  preservation  or  growth  of  flowers  or  plants. 
Yases  are  both  classic  and  picturesque  ornaments  to 
buildings  and  grounds,  when  in  keeping  with  the 
architectui-e  of  the  place ;  but  they  are  chiefly  suited 


96  PARKS    AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

to  the  different  varieties  of  the  Italian  Ptyle  of  build- 
ings.— Ed. 

RocKWORKS  are  pleasing  objects,  when  well  exe- 
cuted ;  but  they  should  hardly  be  introduced,  except 
in  places  where  their  position  indicates  that  something 
of  the  kind  is  not  unnatural  —  that  the  rock  projects 
inartificially  through  the  ground,  or  that  it  may  have 
been  laid  bare  by  some  needful  excavation.  The  ma- 
terials of  rockworks  should  not  be  altogether  foreign 
to  the  geology  of  the  district ;  or,  if  they  are  so,  their 
natural  stratification  should  be  imitated  as  well  as 
possible,  as,  indeed,  it  ought  to  be  in  all  cases;  for 
this,  if  skillfully  done,  will  take  off  much  from  their 
artificial  appearance.  It  is  a  common,  but  a  very 
great  error,  to  construct  them  of  all  the  curious,  rug- 
ged, weather-eaten,  or  water-worn  stones  that  can  be 
collected  from  the  sea-shore  or  the  bed  of  a  river. 
How  such  conglomerations  should  have  ever  been 
imagined  to  be  like  actual  rocks,  it  is  difticult  to  ima- 
gine.  The  slag  of  glass-houses,  and  the  scoriee  of 
blast-furnaces,  may  be  described  to  be  materials  quite 
detestable  —  ugly  in  themselves,  and  unpropitious  to 
the  unhappy  plants  which  grow  on  them.  We  would 
not  have  a  rockwork  a  sort  of  out-of-doors  mineralog- 
ical  museum,  though  some  variety  of  stones  is  not 
objectionable.  One  representing  various  geological 
formations  is  more  worthy  of  approbation,  as  it  may 
be  made  interesting  and  instructive  in  itself,  as  well 
as  ornamental  to  the  grounds.  If  expense  is  to  be 
incurred,  it  is  better  that  it  should  be  laid  out  in  this 
way,  than  that  it  should  be  lavished  on  the  purchase 
or  collection  of  mere  curiosities.  It  may  be  added, 
that  for  the  construction   of  a  rockwork,   even   of 


SHELTER   OF   THE    FLOWERGAEDEX.  97 

considerable  size,  a  great  amount  of  stones  is  not 
■  necessary.  Most  of  its  interior  may  be  of  earth  ;  and 
to  produce  a  sufficient  illusion,  it  may  be  enough  to 
stud  some  portions  of  the  surface  with  stones.  In  a 
few  years,  the  growth  of  plants  and  low  shrubs  placed 
on  it  will  conceal  apparent  defects. 

Note. — The  only  "  rockwork  "  an  American  should 
care  to  introduce  into  his  grounds,  is  that  which  nature 
has  placed  upon  them;  and  such,  agreeably  located, 
may  be  made  decidedly  ornamental  when  partially 
clothed  with  creei^ing  vines  and  shrubbery.  In 
grounds  naturally  rocky  —  that  is,  in  ledges  and 
masses,  as  distinguished  from  lands  where  the  stones 
lie  in  loose  flats,  or  boulders  —  a  sufficient  amount  of 
rock  should  be  retained  to  preserve  the  cliaracter  of 
the  grounds  in  consistency  with  the  geological  surface 
of  the  surrounding  country.  They  are  a  natural  fea- 
ture of  the  place,  and  natural  features,  not  unpleasing 
in  themselves,  should  always  be  preserved  as  a  char- 
acteristic of  the  locality. — Ed. 

Shelter  of  the  Flovter-garden-. — It  has  already 
been  remarked,  that  to  the  flower-garden  proper  shel- 
ter is  indispensable.  In  providing  this  needful  pro- 
tection, most  people  plant  an  indiscriminate  mass  of 
trees  and  shrubs,  without  regard  to  individual  effect 
or  botanical  classification.  We  humbly  think  that 
this  is  the  part  of  the  ground  in  which  something  like 
a  scientific  character  in  the  disposition  of  the  trees 
and  shrubs  is  most  suitable.  "Without  carrying  this 
to  such  pedantic  extremes  as  some  do,  we  should  be 
inclined  to  arrange  the  trees  mostly  according  to  their 
genera  and  natural  orders.  Beginning  at  some  con- 
Tenient  point,  as  with  Tilia,,  (lime,)  the  planter  might 
5 


98  PARKS    AND    PLEASUKE'GROCXDS. 

continue  with  Acer,  (maple  and  sycamore.)  y^sculus, 
(Liorse-cbestnut,)  Fraximis,  (ash,)  Quercus,  (oak,)  Pi- 
nus,  (pine,)  and  with  various  otlier  families.  When 
the  number  of  hardy  species  is  small,  several  genera 
may  Le  collected  into  one  clump ;  but  when  the  kinds 
are  numerous,  as  in  Querents  and  Pinus,  several  groups 
may  be  formed  of  one  family.  The  dwarf  species 
will  take  their  places  in  front  of  the  others.  For  low 
trees  or  shrubs,  to  fill  up  the  margin  of  the  taller 
masses,  we  should  employ  the  more  showy  species  and 
varieties  of  Magnolia,  Cytisus,  Oratagus,  Arbidus, 
Phododendron,  Azalea,  and  others  of  the  numerous 
flowering  shrubs  and  low  trees  procurable  from  nurse- 
ries. Along  with  these  should  be  planted  a  quantity 
of  yews,  hollies,  and  laurels,  to  form  masses  and 
imderwood. 

N'ote. — In  most  parts  of  the  United  States,  limes, 
maples,  horse-chestnuts,  ashs,  oaks,  and  pines  grow 
too  large,  and  create  too  much  shade,  when  used  for 
shelters  to  the  flower-garden.  Besides  this,  their  roots 
extend  so  far  as  to  rob  the  garden  plants  of  their  nutri- 
ment, which  can  only  be  prevented  by  a  deep,  open 
ditch  between  the  line  of  trees  and  the  garden  grounds ; 
and  such  a  ditch  is  unsightly.  Shrubbery  of  tall 
growth  is  better;  which  may  be  composed  of  ever- 
greens, like  the  rhododendron,  or  the  privet,  which  is 
perfectly  hardy  in  our  climate,  and  other  shrubs  easily 
procured  in  the  vicinity  of  almost  every  garden.  In 
the  arrangement  of  these,  if  shrubs  of  different  variety 
and  size  are  used,  the  taller  should  stand  in  the  rear, 
while  the  smaller  should  take  the  front  position,  and 
the  whole  bank  of  protecting  shrubbery  rise,  amphi- 
theater-like, from  the  garden,  that  the  eye  may  rest 


PLAIfTING  IN  THE  PLEASURE  GROUNDS  99 

upon  a  continuous  and  unbroken  line  of  verdure.  The 
effect  of  such  arrangement  is  harmonious  and  beauti- 
ful.—Ed. 

Planting  in  the  Pleasure-grounds  Generally. — 
Hitherto  we  have  been  speaking  of  the  dressed 
grounds  in  immediate  connection  with  the  mansion- 
house  ;  but  our  remarks  mav,  with  some  modification, 
be  extended  to  the  whole  pleasure-grounds.  The  in- 
termixture of  lawns,  and  of  groups  of  shrubs  and 
trees,  must  be  carried  throughout.  American  and 
other  flowering  shrubs  may  be  sprinkled  along  the 
edges  of  the  lawns  and  openings.  In  some  places  the 
trees  may  assume  the  character  of  woods,  with  masses 
of  evergreens  in  the  way  of  underwoods;  in  other 
places,  the  lower  growths  should  only  form  occasional 
thickenings  among  the  taller  trees.  This  variety  of 
scenery  may  be  improved  and  enhanced  by  the  inter- 
est derivable  from  the  trees  themselves.  Xot  to  repeat 
what  has  been  said  above,  about  combining  the  natu- 
ral families  in  the  vicinity  of  the  flower-garden  — 
though  it  is  obvious  that  the  principles  there  recom- 
mended may  be  brought  into  operation  in  any  part  of 
the  pleasure-grounds  —  we  may  point  to  the  striking 
effect  produced  by  certain  exotic  trees,  when  near  the 
eye  of  an  intelligent  observer.  At  a  distance,  and 
viewed  in  a  line  perpendicular  to  its  direction,  a  mass 
of  beeches  may  not  seem  to  differ  much  from  other 
deciduous  trees  ;  but  the  result  is  otherwise,  when  the 
eye  is  sufiiciently  close  to  the  objects  to  discern  their 
kinds,  or  when  their  peculiar  forms  stand  out  in  strong 
relief.  On  this  principle,  the  conspicuous,  or  what 
may  be  called  the  staring  trees,  should  be  mostly  of 
the  rarer  species,  and  of  the  more  uncommon  forms 


100  PARKS    AND   PLEASURE-GKOUNDS. 

Probably  some  of  our  readers  may  remember  the  use 
which  Martin,  the  painter,  makes  of  the  cedar  of  Leb- 
anon, in  his  Illustrations  of  Paradise  Lost.  In  the 
same  way  attention  may  be  directed  to  the  tulip-tree, 
the  weeping  birch,  the  purple  beech,  the  deodar  cedar, 
the  araucaria,  and  many  others  which  will  readily  sug- 
gest themselves  to  amateurs  in  arboriculture.  Of 
course,  it  is  not  intended  that  such  stunted  curiosities 
as  may  be  necessary  in  botanic  gardens,  should  be 
thrust  forward  into  undeserved  notice ;  but  where 
rarity  of  occurrence,  or  quaintness  of  structure,  is 
combined  with  beauty  or  vigor  of  growth,  these  quali- 
ties should  always  be  taken  advantage  of.  The  reader 
will  find  this  subject  pursued  at  greater  length  in  a 
subsequent  chapter. 

.  Walks  in  the  Pleasure-grounds. — Certain  leading 
walks  are  required  in  the  grounds  attached  to  a  coun- 
try residence.  One  or  more  passing' from  the  mansion- 
house  through  the  pleasure-grounds,  will  be  found 
necessary.  Another,  proceeding  from  the  drawing- 
room  front,  or  principal  terrace,  may  direct  its  course 
to  the  flower-garden,  the  kitchen-garden,  or  other  ob- 
jects of  interest.  These  walks  should  also  lead  to  the 
places  from  which  the  finest  views  are  seen.  For  pur- 
poses of  recreation,  and  the  proper  exhibition  of  the 
grounds,  a  variety  of  secondary  walks  are  needful.  As 
a  general  rule,  it  may  be  noted  that  all  narrow  walks 
should  be  avoided.  On  all  walks  in  pleasure-grounds, 
three  persons,  at  least,  should  be  able  to  walk  abreast, 
a  qualification  which  will  require  them  to  be  at  least 
seven  feet  wide.  "When  narrower  than  this  mark, 
walks  produce  an  unsociable  disjunction  of  a  party, 
and  mar  that  conversational  enjoyment  which  is  one 


WALKS    IN   THE   PLEASURE-GROUNDS.  101 

of  the  main  charms  of  such  scenes.  Short  and  fre- 
quent zigzags  in  the  line  of  walks  should  be  avoided, 
as  thej  not  only  look  ill,  but  also  require  a  continual 
twisting  and  turning,  to  the  utter  interruption  of  easy 
and  meditative  walking.  Walks,  and  especially  the 
leading  ones  on  terraces  and  in  the  dressed  grounds, 
ought  to  be  very  carefully  and  efficiently  constructed, 
otherwise  they  can  not  be  expected  to  be  firm,  dry, 
and  comfortable  at  all  seasons.  They  should  be  bot- 
tomed with  from  four  to  six  inches  of  hand-packed 
stones  or  old  bricks,  broken  small  on  the  top,  or 
blinded  with  land  gravel,  small  flints,  or  fine  road- 
metal,  and  then  covered  with  from  three  to  four  inches 
of  gravel.  Pit  gravel,  as  binding  most  readily,  is  the 
most  suitable  for  making  a  firm  walk ;  and  therefore, 
when  it  is  to  be  had  in  sufficient  quantity  and  of  a 
proper  quality,  it  should  be  used  in  jDreference  to  other 
kinds.  Sea  and  river  gravel  do  not  bind  so  well,  from 
lack  of  earthy  matter ;  and  therefore,  when  employed 
for  the  first  three  inches,  it  should  receive  a  slight  ad- 
mixture of  earthy  sand,  or  ashes,  or  rotten  rock ;  and 
after  this  layer  has  been  made  firm  by  rolling,  it  should 
receive  a  thin  coating  of  the  water-carried  gravel. 
"Walks  should  be  made  full,  with  a  slight  rounding  in 
the  center,  amounting  to  from  one-eighth  to  three- 
eighths  of  an  inch  to  the  foot  of  breadth ;  more  than 
this  makes  them  unpleasant  to  walk  on.  Small  drains 
along  the  edges  of  the  walks  are  needful,  especially 
when  the  surface  of  the  ground  slopes  toward  them. 
On  inclined  ground  they  should  be  furnished  .with 
gratings,  to  pass  the  water  into  the  drains,  and  to  pre- 
vent it  from  furrowing  the  gravel.  Various  substances 
have  been  used  to  bind  the  surfaces  of  walks,  and  to 


102  PARKS   AND   PLEASUEE-GEOUNDS. 

give  them  the  appearance  of  pavement,  such  as  Ko- 
man  cement  and  coal  tar ;  the  latter,  when  mixed  with 
gravel,  composes  a  hard,  firm,  smooth  surface,  but  the 
resulting  color  is  not  agreeable.  The  favorite  hue  of 
gravel  is  yellow  or  light  sienna;'  these  have  a  warmth 
and  richness  of  efiect  which  are  never  to  be  found  in 
any  dull  or  dark-colored  variety.  On  the  other  hand, 
shell  gravel,  though  clean,  is  too  light  and  glaring, 
particularly  in  sunshine.  The  edging  of  walks  should 
always  be  low ;  a  deep  border  of  grass  is  unsightly, 
and  seems  to  indicate  careless  keeping.  Box  edgings 
should  also  be  small  and  low.  The  only  allowable 
deviation  from  this  rule  occurs  in  the  high  edgings 
necessary  to  mark  the  figures  of  a  parterre. 

Note. — As  we  have  before  remarked,  walks  are  ex- 
ceedingly expensive  in  their  construction,  and  subse- 
quent care,  as,  without  nice  keeping,  they  are  anything 
but  ornamental  to  the  grounds.  For  ordinary  pur- 
poses, therefore,  the  fewer  of  them,  the  better.  Yet, 
let  these  few  be  what  walks  should  be  —  substantial, 
and  to  the  purpose.  Walks,  for  pedestrian  use,  should 
be  chiefiy  confined  to  the  pleasure-grounds  immedi- 
ately about  the  dwelling.  When  extended  into  the 
park,  they  detract  from  its  character  of  extent,  and 
dignity;  and  if  intended  to  be  nicely  kej)t,  are  fre- 
quently disturbed  and  profaned  by  the  anno^-ance  of 
the  cattle.  Unless  for  a  secluded  path,  to  steal  away  on 
to  some  sequestered  spot,  the  roads  for  driving  should 
only  occupy  the  park,  and  the  "paths"  need  be  but 
trodden  footways,  like  an  "Indian  trail,"  threading  its 
most  sheltered  and  unfrequented  parts. — Ed. 

The  Fokmation  of  Lawns. — A  fine  sward  of  grass 
is  of  great  moment,  particularly  in  terraces,  flower- 


THE    F0R:irAT10X    OF   LAWNS.  108 

gardens,  and  bowling-greens,  and,  as  sucb,  calls  for 
some  notice  in  this  part  of  our  subject.  The  first 
requisite  is  a  good  surface  soil ;  for  where  this  is  want- 
ing no  good  grass  can  be  obtained  to  form  a  fine  turf. 
It  is  vain  to  expect  a  rich  and  perpetual  verdure  on 
stiff  claj,  or  on  tillj  and  heathy  soils.  From  eight  to 
sixteen  inches  of  good  loam  or  of  fine  light  mould, 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  subsoil,  will  generally 
be  sufiicient  for  this  purpose.  An  object  of  nearly 
equal  importance  is  a  copious  supply  of  grasses  adapted 
to  such  soils.  These  are  most  readily  obtained  by 
sowing  the  proper  seeds.  It  is  an  absurd  practice  to 
sow  the  diflerent  varieties  of  rye-grass,  (Lolium  jper- 
enne^)  most  of  which  are  really  annual,  or  at  most  bi- 
ennial :  in  this  way  a  fine  perennial  turf  will  never  be 
formed,  though  a  natural  one,  more  or  less  worthless, 
will  probably  form  itself  from  seeds  of  grasses  con- 
tained in  the  ground,  which  are  most  likely  to  be  of 
the  coarsest  kind.  Probably,  after  the  lapse  of  six  or 
eight  years,  a  sward  barely  tolerable  may  be  p»roduced 
by  constant  mowing.  Our  own  experience  warrants 
us  to  say,  that  with  a  proper  mixture  of  perennial 
grass  seeds,  a  fine  sward  may  be  grown  in  two  years. 
AVe  may  add,  that  careful  and  frequent  rolling  and 
mowing  conduce  greatly  to  the  sjieedy  formation  of  a 
fine  sward. 

]\^otc. — The  best  possible  grasses  for  American  lawns 
are  Blue-grass,  (Poa  coinpressa^)  meadow  or  green 
grass,  (Poa  praieiisis,)  and  white  clo^■er,  (TrifoUum 
repens^)  which  grow  spontaneously  over  most  parts  of 
the  United  States.  They  make  a  soft,  thick  turf,  like 
wool,  and  require  only  to  be  often  cut  to  maintain  a 


104:  PAKKS    AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

constant  verdure  throughout  tlie  growing  season.  Tlie 
long  and  expensive  army  oi' /'o7'eig7i  "lawn  grasses" 
frequently  advertised  by  the  seedsmen,  are  of  no  ac- 
count ;  and  if  applied  will  have  to  be  renewed  with 
the  native  grasses  we  have  named,  to  make  a  perma- 
nent, smooth,  and  acceptable  lawn. — Ed. 


THE   PAEK,  106 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE  PARK. 

Definition  —  The  Unity  of  the  Park  —  Natural  Character  of  the 
Ground  — Acquired  Character  of  the  Ground  — Plan  ting  in  the  Park — 
Surfaces  to  be  Planted  —  Arrangement  of  Woods  in  the  Park  —  a 
Group — a  Clump  —  a  Mass  —  carrying  out  the  Arrangement  of 
Woods  —  Grouping  of  Plantations  in  the  Park  —  Outlines  of  Planta- 
tions—  Belts  and  Circles — Artificial  Style — Avenues. 

The  Park. — Under  the  general  name  of  Park  we 
include  all  those  plantations  and  pasture-lands  sur- 
rounding a  country  residence  and  its  dressed  grounds, 
which  are  in  the  immediate  possession  of  the  proprie- 
tor, and  are  managed  by  his  servants,  or  at  most  are 
only  let  out  from  year  to  year  for  grazing.  In  the 
vicinity  of  cities  or  large  towns,  and  in  thickly  popu- 
lated districts,  the  park  is  usually  inclosed  by  a  wall 
or  fence  of  sufficient  height  to  exclude  ordinary  intru- 
ders ;  in  more  remote  districts  its  boundary-fences  differ 
little  from  those  common  in  the  country,  except  that 
they  may  be  a  little  higher  and  more  carefully  kept.* 

•TL3  park,  chase,  and  forest  are  remnants  of  the  tenitori;il  arraDgoments  of  feudal 
times,  and  are,  indeed,  different  forms  of  preserves  fo;-  beasts  of  chase  and  other  came. 
The  forest,  often  of  vai<t  extent  and  of  diversified  surface,  was  the  exclusive  prerogative 
of  royalty,  and  was  invested  with  peculiar  laws  and  pri\-ilege8.  The  chase,  a  name 
still  occurring  in  some  places  In  England,  was  a  smaller  portion  of  country,  lying  in 
a  state  of  nature,  and  uniuclosed.  The  park  was  of  more  limited  dimensions  than 
either  of  the  fui-mer,  and  was  surrounded  by  fences.  In  the  conception  of  a  park, 
inclosure  is  the  dominant  idea;  and  hence,  in  the  Lowlands  of  Scotland,  which  were 
inclosed  within  the  memory  of  the  last  generation,  a  fenced  field  of  any  description 
Ix,  in  popular  usage,  called  a  park. 

5* 


106  PAEKS   AND   PLEASUEE-GEOUNDS. 

The  park  may  be  viewed  as  distinguished  by  the 
quantity  and  variety  of  its  woodlands,  arranged  in  the 
form  of  plantations,  or  dispersed  in  clumps  and  groups 
through  its  pasture-lands.  "We  have  already  adverted 
to  various  subjects  connected  with  a  country  residence ; 
to  these  we  shall  again  refer  only  as  forming  part  of 
the  arrangements  of  the  park  scenery. 

The  Unity  of  the  Paek  may  be  described  to  be  that 
harmony  of  effect  produced  by  well-arranged  scenery 
which,  however  diversified  and  picturesque,  does  not 
suggest  any  discordant  or  offensively  incongruous  ideas. 
A  park,  indeed,  of  considerable  extent,  will  never  form 
one  picture;  and  neither  will  a  small  one,  unless  in 
unfavorable  circumstances.    A  simple  or  single  unity, 
then,  is  a  quality  not  to  be  expected,  and  hardly  to  be 
valued  if  it  could  be  obtained.     The  absence  of  dis- 
cordance, a  character  quite  compatible  with  a  beautiful 
diversity,  is  perhaps  all  the  unity  that  is  desirable.    It 
must  be  confessed  that  this  is  a  subject  which  has  re- 
ceived very  inadequate  attention,  both  in  the  theory 
and  the  practice  of  designing.     Yery  often,  in  the  lay- 
ing out  of  grounds,  no  general  plan  has  been  adopted, 
or  at  least  no  pervading  idea  has  been  carried  out. 
Improvement  has  i^roceeded  in  a  bit-by-bit  way  —  by 
the  planting  of  a  field  here  and  a  knoll  there.    Clumps 
or  single  trees  are  set  down  in  adjoining  fields,  fences 
are  partially  removed,  and  fragments  of  hedgerows  or 
belts  of  plantation  are  left  standing  in  places  whence 
they  ought  to   have  been  removed,  or  if  preserved, 
should  have  been  made  the  nuclei  of  clumps  or  groups 
of  trees.     The  result  of  all  this  is  confusion  at  the 
very  least.    In  many  cases,  and  even  in  places  of  con- 
siderable note,  what  beauty  there  is  has  arisen  from 


UNITY    OF  THE    PAKK.  107 

tlie  marked  character  of  the  localit}-,  or  from  the  acci- 
dental circumstance  of  an  existing  mass  or  group  of 
fine  old  trees,  rather  than  from  any  systematic  efforts 
on  the  part  of  tlie  designers.  This  frequently  occurs 
Avhere  parks  have  been  gradually  enlarged  by  succes- 
sive additions.  Yery  often,  instead  of  a  fine  park,  ^ve 
find  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  an  accumulated  mass  of 
acres,  woods,  fields,  and  fences,  without  any  visible 
arrangement  in  reference  to  beauty  of  individual  out- 
line or  to  harmonious  combination.  The  impression 
is  that  of  a  labyrinth.  The  only  unity  is  contiguity 
of  space.  We  do  not  say  that  there  is  no  interest  even 
in  such  scenes ;  but  it  arises  from  the  beauty  of  single 
trees,  or  occasional  nooks  of  greenery,  or  detached 
pieces  of  rock  or  water, — very  beautiful  things,  cer- 
tainly, in  themselves,  but  only  a  scantling  of  what 
might  have  been  secured  by  the  moderate  exercise  of 
taste  and  foresight.  After  all,  an  extensive  and  per- 
vading unity  is  often  unattainable.  Some  corner  of  a, 
neighboring  estate,  some  I^Tabotlrs  vineyard,  comes  in 
the  way,  and,  ofiending  the  feeling  of  appropriation, 
must  be  planted  out  if  it  cannot  be  purchased ;  or  a 
parish  road,  or  a  church  with  graveyard  and  hamlet, 
may  obtrude  themselves  irremediably.  In  such  cir- 
cumstances, the  absence  of  a  visible  disunity  may  be 
the  most  favorable  consunnnation  that  can  be  realized. 
I^ote. — We  cannot  but  regret  that  our  author  has 
not  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  visiting  America,  that  his 
eye  might  for  once  be  gratified  with  the  sight  of  the 
grandeur  and  beauty  of  the  natural  park  scenery  so 
often  presented  to  the  traveler  in  our  new  states,  and 
still  remaining  in  some  of  the  old  ones.  We  know 
hundi-eds  of  agricultural  estates  wliich  can  boast  parks 


108  TARES    AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

of  unwonted  beanty,  almost  unknown  and  unappre- 
ciated as  such  by  their  proprietors,  which  are  devoted 
to  the  common  purposes  of  grazing  their  herds.  The 
"barrens"  of  the  west,  as  they  are  locally  termed — ■ 
any  thing  but  barren,  in  reality,  as  they  are  among 
the  most  fertile  of  lands  when  brought  into  cultiva- 
tion—  covered  with  scattering  trees,  and  groups,  and 
clumps,  and  masses  of  forest  of  the  largest  dimensions, 
and  in  great  variety,  with  copses  of  underwood  scat- 
tered beneath,  present  the  most  luxuriant  sites  imagina- 
ble for  such  purposes.  Occasional  stretches  of  prairie 
intervene  to  add  to  their  variety,  and  frequently  a  pond, 
or  lake,  or  running  stream  adds  life  and  spirit  to  the 
landscape.  Large  tracts  of  these  have  been  inclosed, 
and  with  a  discriminating  good  taste  in  many  of  their 
proprietors,  the  original  trees  have  been  preserved  and 
now  remain  in  their  fullest  growth  and  luxuriance. 
Mountains,  and  extended  waters  alone,  are  wanting, 
to  give  them  a  perfection  which  all  the  arts  of  artificial 
planting  and  cultivation  cannot  equal.  Further  south, 
and  east,  but  still  on  the  sloj^e  of  the  western  waters, 
hills  and  mountains  add  variety  to  the  scenery  of  these 
natural  parks.  More  heavily  timbered  than  the  bar- 
rens, the  finest  forest  ranges  are  frequently  inclosed 
with  the  open  lands,  and  dotted  with  herds  and  flocks  , 
and  scarce  aware  of  the  fact  themselves,  their  propri- 
etors are  in  the  enjoyment  of  parks  and  pleasure- 
grounds  such  as  few  of  the  aristocracy  of  Europe  can 
boast,  in  native  gi'andeur,  beauty,  and  fertility.  On 
the  Atlantic  slope,  a  greater  variety  of  surface,  and 
of  natural  objects  may  be  found,  with  which  to  com- 
bine and  form  a  more  perfect  aggregation  of  interest, 
but  diminished  in  the  lesser  fertility  of  the  soil,  and 


WATURAL  CHARACTER  OF  THE  GROU>'D.     109 

the  splendor  of  its  vegetation.  Few  "Xabotlis'  vine- 
yards" here  stand  in  the  way  of  the  approj^riation 
of  all  that  need  satisfy  the  taste  of  one  who  has  the 
means  to  enjoy  his  bent  to  the  utmost  in  posses- 
sion of  such  a  pleasure.  Such  are  our  agricultural 
parks,  and  while  subservient  to  profitable  purposes  in 
grazing,  they  may  minister  to  the  finest  taste  in  all 
that  embellishes  the  land  with  natural  beauty,  and 
grandeur.  To  their  preservation,  we  commend,  most 
earnestly,  the  attention  of  those  whose  enviable  lot  it 
is  -to  possess  them.  For  the  more  restricted  objects 
of  such  as  seek  the  possession  of  a  park  as  an  object 
of  luxury  in  the  populous  districts  of  country  contigu- 
ous to  our  large  towns  and  cities,  the  natural  features 
of  open  ground,  and  forest,  in  appropriate  places,  and 
sufficient  variety,  are  not  so  readily  found ;  and  these 
must,  of  course,  be  supplied  by  planting  and  cultiva- 
tion. To  them  are  the  instructions  of  our  author  chiefly 
directed. — Ed. 

]S"atural  Character  of  the  Ground. — Most  places 
have  intrinsically  a  natural  character,  which  is  mainly 
dependent  on  what  may  be  called  the  contour  of 
surface.  This,  being  a  matter  of  great  iinportance, 
should  receive  immediate  and  studious  attention,  both 
from  the  proprietor  and  the  artists  who  may  aid  him  in 
erecting  his  house  and  laying  out  his  grounds.  It  is 
obvious  that  the  nature  of  the  surface  must  materially 
affect  the  style  and  position  of  the  mansion-house,  the 
adornment  of  the  dressed  grounds,  and  the  extent  and 
character  of  the  park,  approaches,  and,  in  short,  every 
thing  connected  with  a  country  residence.  Katurc 
affords  an  almost  infinite  variety  of  contours,  each 
requiring  or  suggesting  a  different  treatment.      For 


110  PARKS   AND   TLEASURE-GKOUNDS. 

example,  the  house  and  its  environs  may  occupy  part 
of  a  dead  flat,  a  level  as  uniform  as  a  painter's  canvas ; 
and  this  situation  may  be  accounted  the  least  felicitous, 
or  certainly  the  least  suggestive,  of  all,  as  it  obliges 
the  designer  to  create  rather  than  regulate  a  landscape. 
Again,  the  surface  may  be  concave,  including  the  two 
sides  of  a  valley  of  moderate  width ;  or  it  may  be  the 
lower  part  of  the  slope  of  a  hilly  country,  where  it 
gradually  descends  into  the  plain  —  in  other  words,  one 
side  of  a  broad  valley.     On  the  other  hand,  some  sur- 
faces are  convex-^ a  long  and  slightly  elevated  ridge, 
we  may  suppose,  or  a  lower  spur  of  a  mountain  or 
range  of  hills,  or  a  bold  promontory  running  into  the 
sea.     Once  more,  the  house  may  be  seated  on  the 
shoulder  formed  by  the  junction  of  a  primary  and  a 
transverse  or  secondary  valley,  on  a  platform  over  a 
lake  or  arm  of  the  sea,  or  on  the  winding  bank  of  an 
inland  stream  or  navigable  river;  and  of  course  the 
character  of  the  park  and  grounds  must  be  modified 
by  these  varying  circumstances.      Manifold  are  the 
other  diversities  of  natural  surface ;  and  to  the  slightest 
reflection  it  must  be  apparent  that  they  cannot  all  be 
dealt  with  in  the  same  way.    On  a  convex  surface,  for 
example,  we   do   not   generally  meet  with    standing 
water;  the  beauties  consist  mostly  of  distant  views, 
and  the  business  of  the  designer  is  to  select  these,  to 
render  them   conspicuous,  and   to  set  them  off  with 
beautiful  foregrounds.    On  the  other  hand,  the  concave 
surface  suggests  water  scenery,  such  as  the  lake  or  the 
artificial  river.    From  such  a  locality  the  distant  views 
are  necessarily  limited,  or  extend  only  in  the  direction 
of  the  valley ;  but  if  the  house  be  planted  near  one  of 
the  rising  edges,  or  on  the  breast  of  a  slope,  there  will 


ACQUIRED   CIIAIJACTER   OF   THE    GROUND.  Ill 

be  room  for  admirable  pictorial  effect  in  the  middle 
distance  and  opposite  ridge,  as  well  as  for  delicious 
■walks  or  rides  in  the  lower  grounds.  "We  throw  out 
these  hints  rather  as  illustrative  of  contour  than  as  in- 
dicating specific  plans  for  j^articular  localities.  We 
need  scarcely  add,  that  this  natural  diversity  of  surface, 
while  in  its  individual  forms  it  affords  one  of  the  es- 
sential elements  of  beauty,  and  has  probably  suggested 
most  of  what  is  really  fine  in  the  practice  of  the  art, 
utterly  precludes  the  laying  down  of  any  general  rule 
as  everywhere  applicable.  TVe  shall  have  occasion  to 
revert  to  this  principle;  meanwhile,  we  beg  the  atten- 
tion of  our  readers  to  its  importance. 

Acquired  Character  or  the  Ground. — Except 
where  a  residence  has  to  be  formed  in  an  unimproved 
and  desolate  region,  (and  that  is  a  task  not  of  common 
occurrence.)  the  locality  to  be  dealt  with  will  have  not 
only  a  natural,  b^ut  also  an  acquired  character.  Some 
growing  timber  is  generally  found  where  a  man  thinks 
of  setting  down  a  house,  and  there  are  fences,  roads, 
and  perhaps  farm  buildings  or  other  rural  objects 
already  existing.  And  if  the  designer  is  called  in,  not 
to  give  a  primary  plan,  but  to  improve  or  extend  wliat 
has  been  already  done,  he  is  sure  to  find  before  him 
buildings,  plantations,  and  other  matters  connected 
with  country  residences.  All  these  circumstances 
originate  what  we  have  called  an  acquired  character, 
which,  in  some  cases,  may  have  obliterated  in  a  great 
measure  the  natural  expression  of  the  place,  particu- 
larly if  the  latter  was  not  strongly  marked  at  first,  or 
it  may  have  brought  out  such  a  want  of  harmony  as 
to  necessitate  improvement.  In  dealing  with  the  ac- 
quired character  of  the  place,  the  artist  will  find  that 


112  PAEKS    AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

there  are  certain  objects,  such  as  the  mansion-house, 
offices,  and  j)ortions  of  the  woods,  which  can  seldom 
be  altered,  and  which  must  be  treated  as  fixtures. 
Such  objects  are  not  unfrequently  sources  of  great 
embarrassment.  They  often  so  modify  the  whole  of 
the  alterations  that  the  place,  even  after  every  possible 
improvement,  is  greatly  inferior  to  what  it  might  have 
been  had  the  fixtures  been  skillfully  arranged  at  first. 
All  these  points,  then — the  natural  contour  and  ex- 
pression, the  acquired  character,  and  the  mutual  modi- 
fications produced  by  the  intermingling  of  both  —  must 
be  carefully  studied  by  the  artist ;  for  it  is  only  by 
means  of  a  matured  knowledge  of  these,  and  by  avail- 
ing himself  of  the  alterations  which  they  place  within 
his  reach,  that  he  hopes  to  bring  out  those  beauties 
which  the  eye  of  taste  can  discover  slumbering  and 
buried,  as  it  were,  in  a  mass  of  deformity  and  confu- 
sion. No  quickness  of  eye  can  dispense  with,  hardly 
any  inspiration  of  genius  can  supply  the  want  of, 
careful  and  accurate  study  on  the  ground. 

Planting  in  the  Park. — Planting  is  the  principal 
means  of  ornamenting  the  park ;  and  accordingly,  trees 
and  shrubs  are  the  chief  materials  with  which  the  de- 
signer has  to  operate.  On  the  presence  or  absence  of 
these,  and  on  their  due  arrangement  and  distribution, 
will  depend  the  superiority  which  the  lands  of  the  park, 
thus  adorned,  will  have  over  lands  of  a  similar  charac- 
ter and  extent,  but  occupied  simply  as  j)astures.  This 
difference  may  be  small  at  first,  but  it  will  be  rapidly 
developed  by  the  yearly  growth  of  the  trees.  In  this 
department  of  planting,  various  objects  are  to  be  kept 
in  view.  Shelter  may  be  necessary  in  particular 
quarters ;  seclusion,  also,  is  requisite.    But  the  principal 


SURFACES    TO    BE    PLANTED.  113 

aim  which  the  ornamental  planter  has  to  keep  in 
view  is,  of  course,  scenic  beauty.  To  attain  this  end, 
particular  attention  must  be  given  to  the  nature  of  the 
surfaces  which  are  to  be  planted;  and  of  those  we 
shall  now  proceed  to  speak. 

Note. — In  order  to  a  perfect  understanding  of  his 
future  plans,  the  proprietor  of  a  park  on  which  im- 
provements of  any  kind  are  to  be  made,  should  have 
a  correct  topographical  map  of  the  whole  territory 
embraced,  that  at  his  leisure  he  may  become  familiar 
with  every  point  of  interest,  and  with  ^\&i'^  elevation 
and  depression  which  it  embraces ;  and  if  the  geologi- 
cal formations  of  his  grounds  differ  one  from  another, 
such  differences,  and  their  character,  should  also  be 
noted,  to  govern  him  in  their  fitness  for  the  growth  of 
certain  trees,  shrubbery,  and  plants,  in  preference  to 
others.  All  such  should  have  their  appropriate  place, 
as  on  their  adaptation  to  the  soil  will  their  growth  and 
ultimate  effect  materially  depend. — Ed. 

Surfaces  to  be  Planted. — Of  these  we  may  remark 
generally  that  their  exact  nature  should  be  carefully 
ascertained,  their  present  and  possible  future  physiog- 
nomy should  be  attentively  studied,  and  the  amount 
and  distribution  of  the  planting  should  be  determined 
accordingly.  The  planter  will  endeavor  to  bring  out 
the  beauty  which  intrinsically  belongs  to  the  peculiar 
situation,  or  may  be  elicited  from  it.  At  the  same 
time,  he  will  take  care  not  to  shut  out  whatever  is 
picturesque  in  the  surrounding  country  from  the  prin- 
cipal points  of  view.  We  have  already  said  that  a  flat 
surface  is  the  least  propitious  to  pictorial  effect;  still, 
by  skillful  management,  a  certain  amount  of  it  may  be 
accomplished,  or,  at  least,  a  great  improvement  may 


114  PARKS   AND   PLEASURE-GEOUNDS. 

be  .made  on  a  bald  and  uninteresting  locality.     On 
such  ground  the  artist  will  have  to  depend  on  his  own 
power  of  grouping  together  the  masses  of  wood  which 
he  may  deem  necessary  for  the  purposes  of  decoration ; 
and  though  he  cannot  avail  himself  of  any  swell  of 
the  ground  to  add  variety  to  the  scene,  he  will  have 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  the  outlines  of  his 
plantations,  clumps,  etc.,  are  perfectly  at  his  command, 
and  that  their  effect  cannot  be  diminished  by  any  twist 
or  contortion  of  surface  — a  difficulty  of  not  unfrequent 
occurrence  in  other  cases.    Deprived  of  any  advantage 
which  may  be  derived  from  undulations  calculated  to 
heighten  the  eifect  of  a  plantation,  or  to  relieve  the 
defects  of  an  outline,  he  will  have  to  create  a  piece  of 
scenery  which  should  be  com|;]ete  in  itself,  and  should- 
form  a  graceful  and  harmonious  whole.   The  disposition 
of  the  woods  should  be  such  as  to  make  up  a  variety 
of  apparently  connected,  yet  diversified,  scenes,  of  con- 
siderable length  and  breadth  within  the  park.    It  is  of 
great  practical  moment  to  remark,  that  to  accomplish 
this,  less  planting  will  be  required  on  a  flat  than  on 
any  other  surface.    The  open  spaces  should  be  roomy, 
the  glades  wide  and  sunny,  and  the  whole  expression 
of  the  place  should,  so  far  as  is  possible,  be  light  and 
airy.     In  an  undulating  or  hilly  country,  the  woods 
ought  rather  to  occupy  the  sides  of  tl\e  hills  or  rising 
grounds  than  the  intervening  valleys  or  hollows.     In 
this  way  the  woods  are  seen  to  greater  advantage,  r.nd 
they  tend  to  increase  the  height  of  the  eminences  on 
which  they  are  placed,  and  proportionally  to  deepen 
the  grounds  below  them.     When  the  valleys  or  de- 
-pressions  of  a  park  are  all  planted  up,  as  they  too 
often  are,  the  necessary  result  is  the  concealment  of 


SURFACES   TO    BK   PLANTED.  115 

the  natural  inequalities  of  the  ground,  and  the  produc- 
tion of  a  dull  uniformity.  Of  course,  while  recom- 
mending the  planting  of  wood  on  the  higher  positions, 
we  do  not  mean  that  the  smooth  outline  of  every  green 
hill  should  be  exchanged  for  a  serrated  one  of  trees 
placed  over  it.  Still  less  would  we  recommend  the 
capping  of  all  the  knolls  with  clumps  of  wood,  which 
is  in  as  had  taste  as  planting  up  all  the  hollows.  "We 
M'ould  have  some  of  the  hills  or  rising  grounds  in  the 
park  covered  with  masses  of  wood  feathered  out  toward 
the  bottom,  with  scattered  groups  thinly  distributed 
across  the  valleys.  In  other  cases,  the  rising  grounds 
might  be  clothed  with  groups  becoming  thinner  toward 
the  to^D,  and  thickening  as  they  descend  on  both  sides. 
Where  there  are  low  green  hills  with  fine  outlines,  the 
summits  of  one  or  more  of  these  should  by  all  means 
be  left  vacant,  and  a  curtain  of  wood  drawn  along  the 
lower  slopes  and  base,  and  even  the  adjacent  valley. 
Where  there  is  no  such  variety  of  surface  as  we  have 
supposed  above,  or  where  the  park  is  of  limited  extent, 
each  case  will  fall  to  be  dealt  with  as  the  natural  char- 
acter of  the  place  will  suggest  or  allow,  regard  being 
had  to  the  general  import  of  the  principles  already 
indicated.  The  planting  of  the  sloping  banks  of  the 
platforms  which  constitute  the  main  area  of  some 
parks,  and  of  the  ravines  by  which  they  are  intersected, 
has  often  a  wretched  effect.  This  is  owing  to  several 
causes ;  for  example,  to  their  being  formed  without 
relation  to  other  groups  or  masses  in  the  park,  and  to 
their  trees  appearing  above  the  banks,  and  dividing 
the  land  with  what  seems  a  meager,  ill-grown  belt. 
When  such  places  are  planted,  they  should  form  a  por- 
tion of  some  of  the  more  general  combinations  in  the 


116  PAIIKS   AND   PLEASUBE-GJROmn^S. 

park,  and  the  spaces  covered  with  trees  should  be  ex- 
tended beyond  the  top  of  the  banks  in  order  to  secure 
a  certain  amount  of  breadth.  It  sometimes  happens, 
that  in  such  planted  ravines  the  lines  of  light  along 
the  upper  edges  of  the  slopes,  as  seen  from  below, 
proclaim  the  poverty  of  the  whole  affair.  "We  add  an 
earnest  caution  against  the  inconsiderate  filling-up  of 
ravines  and  hollows  by  means  of  M'ood.  Such  places 
may  have  no  agricultural,  and  but  little  pastoral  value, 
and  yet  the  choking  of  them  up  with  plantations  may 
be  almost  the  last  thing  which  an  improver  ought  to  do. 
Aerangement  of  Woods  in  the  Pakk. — This  is 
a  subject  second  in  importance  to  none  which  Ave  have 
hitherto  treated.  Success  in  this  department  is  essen- 
tial to  that  unity  and  harmony  which  are  necessary  to 
the  development  and  finished  expression  of  park  scen- 
ery. It  is,  however,  a  matter  somev/hat  difficult  to 
handle,  both  in  theory  and  in  practice.  For  the  sake 
of  clearness,  we  may  begin  our  remarks  with  the  ex- 
planation of  a  few  terms  which  we  can  not  heljj  using, 
and  which,  indeed,  we  have  used  already.  A  Group 
is  a  term  borrowed  from  the  technical  language  of 
painters  and  sculptors.  It  denotes  an  aggregation  of 
at  least  two,  but  generally  more  objects,  closely  related 
to  each  other  by  nearness  and  position,  but  only  re- 
motely related,  in  these  respects,  to  other  objects.  In 
the  internal  structure  of  the  group,  the  objects  are  so 
arranged,  that  while  one  or  more  may  occupy  leading 
positions,  the  others  hold  only  inferior  places;  at  the 
same  time,  each  must  appear  to  belong  to  the  same 
combination,  and  to  contribute  to  the  making  up  of  a 
whole.  The  external  and  remote  relation  of  the  group  to 
other  objects,  is  of  a  more  evanescent  and  indefinable 


ARKANGEMEXT  OF  WOODS  IN  TUE  PARK.     117 

description,  but  is  of  not  inferior  importance.  A 
group  may,  indeed,  be  conceived  in  a  state  of  isolation 
from  objects  of  the  same  kind,  as  two  or  three  human 
figures  in  the  corner  of  a  landscape-j^ainting,  a  few 
statues  on  a  terrace,  or  a  patch  of  pahn-trees  in  a  wide 
desert ;  but  there  is  probably  always,  even  in  the  case 
of  the  palm-trees,  a  mental  reference  to  existing  ac- 
companiments, perceived  or  imagined.  In  landscape- 
gardening,  a  group,  though  apparently  detached,  is 
uniformly  part  of  a  whole.  It  remains  to  be  added, 
that  groups  are  either  simple  or  composite:  simple, 
when  they  are  made  up  of  single  objects,  such  as  trees 
or  statues ;  composite,  when  they  are  formed  of  single 
groups,  or  of  the  other  more  condensed  and  extended 
bodies  of  trees,  which  we  now  proceed  to  mention. 
A  Clump  is  a  group  considerably  increased  in  the 
number  and  density  of  its  component  parts,  without 
any  apparent  internal  arrangement,  but  with  a  definite 
figure  and  decided  outline.  A  clump  of  trees  may  be 
called  a  small  wood.  Viewed  at  a  moderate  distance, 
the  form  of  that  half  of  it  which  is  next  the  spectator 
can  be  taken  in  at  once  by  the  eye.*  A  3£ass  of  wood 
is  hardly  a  technical  term,  but  yet  a  very  convenient 
one.  It  denotes  a  large  body  of  growing  timber,  ex- 
hibiting an  apparent  continuity  of  boughs  and  foliage, 
and  of  such  depth  that  the  horizontal  light  can  not  be 
seen  through  the  stems  of  the  trees.     That  portion  of 

•  Lexicographers  inform  us  that  the  word  clump  was  originally  written  plump,  and 
they  adduce  as  examples,  a  plump  of  trees,  of  horse,  of  fowls,  etc.  Near  the  beginning 
of  '  Marmion,'  Sir  Walter  Scott,  imitating  an  old  ballad,  employs  the  expression,  "  a 
plump  of  spears,"  and  adds  in  a  note,  "This  word  properly  applies  to  a  flight  of 
water- fowl,  but  is  applied  by  analogy  to  a  body  of  horse."  From  certain  analogies  iu 
words  derived  from  the  Anglo-Saxon,  it  would  seem  that  clump  and  lump  are  nearly 
allied,  if  not  identical;  and  it  must  be  owned  that  a  lump  of  trees  is  a  phrase  not  a 
little  descriptive  of  many  clumps  to  be  found  In  parks  and  pleasure-grounds. 


118  PARKS    AND   PLEASCKE-GROUNDS. 

an  extensive  plantation  or  forest  which  is  visible  at 
once,  may  be  called  a  mass  of  wood.  In  the  park, 
however,  the  masses,  generally  speaking,  are  of  more 
limited  dimensions  ;  yet  they  are  so  large,  that  while 
the  irregularities  of  outline  in  the  vicinity  of  the  spec- 
tator can  be  perceived  by  him,  the  forms  of  the  ex-' 
tremities  are  distinguishable  only  when  viewed  from  a 
considerable  distance.  Masses  and  clumps  may  be 
either  inclosed  or  open ;  they  are  generally  inclosed. 
It  will  be  obvious  from  our  definition  of  a  composite 
group,  that  the  places  of  the  component  members  may 
be  taken  by  other  groups,  and  by  clumps,  and  even 
masses ;  so  that  we  might  speak  of  a  group  of  groups, 
a  group  of  clumps,  and  a  group  of  masses.  It  will 
tend  to  clearness,  however,  if  we  reserve  the  term 
group,  at  least  when  accompanied  with  qualification, 
to  denote  the  smaller  and  simpler  aggregations.  In 
the  larger  and  more  composite  arrangements,  we  shall 
prefer  the  expressions,  a  system,  or  combination  of 
clumps  or  masses.  As  the  word  grouping  has  been 
extensively  used  to  express  the  principles  of  combina- 
tion or  composition  in  rural  scenery,  we  shall  continue 
to  avail  ourselves  of  it  when  necessary.  It  is  hoped 
that,  the  above  explanations  being  kept  in  mind,  the 
following  remarks  will  be  sufficiently  intelligible.  In 
carrying  out  the  arrangement  of  the  woods,  the  de- 
signer should  begin  with  forming  certain  leading  sys- 
tems of  masses,  to  be  filled  up  and  completed  by 
secondary  and  minor  combinations,  together  with  the 
necessary  clumps  or  groups  of  scattered  trees.  For 
the  principal  masses,  a  few  leading  2-)Ositions  should 
be  selected.  The  house  and  j)leasure-grounds  should 
be  included  in  one  ;  a  hill,  or  rising  ground,  or  rounded 


ARRANGEMEXT  OF  WOODS  IN  THE  PARK.     119 

eminence,  may  form  the  center  of  a  second  or  third  ; 
while  the  boundary  of  the  park  toward  the  home  farm, 
or  other  portion  of  the  boundary  wliere  disagreeable 
objects  are  to  be  concealed,  may  afford  room  for  a 
fourth  or  fifth.     The  secondary  combinations,  tliough 
inferior  in  extent  to  tlie  primary  ones,  will  yet,  in  many 
parks,  be  of  sufficient  dimensions  to  vail  the  stables 
and  farm-ofiices,  and  to   shelter  the  kitchen-gardens 
when  these  are  placed  in  detached  positions;   they 
may  also  be  employed  with  good  eft'ect  in  other  places, 
such   as   around  the   entrance-gates  and  lodges,  the 
gamekeepers'  and  park-keepers'  cottages,  and  along 
the  boundary  of  the  park.     The  secondary  masses  are 
also  serviceable  in  connecting  the  principal  ones,  and 
so  making  up  what  we  have  called  the  systems  or 
main  combinations.     The  minor  combinations  are  fre- 
quently required  for  the  same  or  similar  purposes, 
especially  when  they  are  formed  of  groups  of  trees. 
The   size,  number,  and   variety   of  these  diversified 
aggregations  of  trees,  necessary  for  the  decoration  of 
the  park,  will,  of  course,  depend  very  much  on  the 
extent  of  the  ground  and  the  natural  character  of  the 
surface.     When  it  is  intended  to  give  the  whole  what 
is  called  a  park-like  appearance,  spaces  of  grass  land 
of  considerable  length  and  breadth  should  be  left  open 
between  the  principal  masses  of  plantation,  and  also 
between  a  number  of  the  secondary  ones.     On  the 
other  hand,  when  it  is  desired  to  inq^art  to  the  place 
the  character  of  woodland  scenery,  the  main  combina- 
tions should  be  enlarged  and  drawn  more  closely  to- 
gether, and  the  grass  lands  should  be  reduced  to  the 
form  of  glades  and  openings  in  the  woods.     In  local- 
ities with  a  level  surface,  where  little  is  seen  beyond 


120  PAEKS   AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

the  park,  and  where  the  creation  of  as  large  an  amount 
of  scenery  as  is  possible  within  it  is  an  essential  ele- 
ment in  its  formation,  tlie  combinations  of  masses  of 
plantation  will  necessarih^  be  fewer,  and  placed  fm-ther 
apart,  than  where  the  surface  operated  on  is  of  an  un- 
dulating, hilly  character.  "Where  a  large  body  of  wood 
is  required,  it  is  injudicious  to  form  the  leading  and 
secondary  masses  into  dense  and  almost  impervious 
thickets,  as  is  too  frequently  done ;  it  is  better  to  ar- 
range them  into  a  gradation  of  masses  interspersed 
with  lawns,  glades,  and  other  openings,  in  addition  to 
the  rides  by  which  they  may  be  traversed,  and  the 
ordinary  roads  necessary  for  their  management.  Where 
the  main  masses  are  small,  a  similar  effect  may  be 
produced  by  lesser  openings  and  indentations.  In 
both  cases,  groups  of  trees,  and  single  trees,  should  be 
scattered  through  the  glades  and  along  the  margins  of 
the  larger  bodies  of  wood.  This  is  exemplified  in 
those  places  in  which  masses  of  wood  are  seen  form- 
ing pleasure-grounds  round  the  mansion-liouse.  We 
do  not  mean  that  these  masses  of  wood  in  the  park 
should  be  dissected  into  as  many  and  as  small  divi- 
sions as  are  often  necessary  in  the  dressed  grounds ; 
but  there  are  many  places  in  which  the  woods  are 
greatly  enlivened  by  such  open  spaces,  and  by  the 
addition  of  a  few  clumps  and  groups  of  single  trees, 
relieving  yet  attached  to  the  general  masses.  In  hilly 
and  mountainous  countries,  large  masses  of  wood  are 
sometimes  planted,  but  it  is  seldom  desirable  to  inter- 
sect these  with  wide  openings  or  lengthened  glades. 
A  better  effect  is  produced  by  bays  and  indentations, 
as  already  recommended.  When  the  woods  have  been 
formed,  as  above  explained,  into  a  variety  of  leading 


GKOUl'IXG  OK  COMBIXATION  OF  IT.AXTATIOXS.       121 

and  secondary  combinations,  the  position  of  the  indi- 
vidual plantations  should  be  such  as  obviously  to 
appear  portions  of  their  own  systems.  They  should 
vary  in  size  as  well  as  in  form,  and  should  be  separated 
b}'  open  spaces  of  varying  breadth.  The  projections 
of  one  ma}^  advance  toward  the  recesses  of  another. 
In  many  cases  they  may  be  blended  into  one  whole  by 
means  of  groups  of  trees  scattered  round  and  among 
them;  these  will  produce  a  light  and  varied  effect,  and 
tend  to  counteract  any  formality  in  the  general  outlines. 
Grouping  or  Combinatiox  of  Plantations  in  the 
Pake. — In  our  previous  remarks,  we  have  taken  for 
granted  that  some  general  arrangement  of  the  different 
bodies  of  wood  should  be  adopted.  It  is  necessary  to 
insist  on  this  principle,  for  it  is  very  frequently  over- 
looked or  neglected.  "We  often  see  isolated  masses 
occupying  positions  for  which  no  apparent  reason  can 
be  discovered,  and  which  probably  were  selected  from 
the  original  low  value  of  the  ground  in  an  agricultural 
point  of  view.  Trees,  the  remains  of  old  hedge-rows, 
or  of  departed  clumps,  or  of  woods  that  have  been  re- 
moved, are  dotted  over  extensive  surfaces.  Fences, 
dividing  the  park  into  separate  fields,  draw  their  mea- 
ger and  ungraceful  lines,  perhaps,  through  the  -very 
center  of  a  fine  breadth  of  view.  The  effx^cts  of  such 
misarrangements  are  confusion,  incongruit}',  or  at  least 
a  sad  diminution  of  the  pleasure  which  the  otber  fea- 
tures of  the  scene  might  have  afforded.  To  avoid 
these  unfortunate  results,  some  general  system  or' 
grouping  should  be  sedulously  followed.  In  extensive 
parks  of  from  one  to  two  thousand  acres,  there  is  often 
room  for  three  or  four,  or  even  more,  main  combina- 
tions, such  as  we  have  specified  in  a  previous  article. 


122  PAKKS    AXD    PLF.ASCRE-GEOUNDS. 

In  more  UmitGcl  localities,  the  principal  grouped  masses 
will,  of  course,  be  fewer  in  number,  or  on  a  reduced 
scale.  "When  these  have  been  marked  out,  the  subor- 
dinate masses,  clumps  and  groups,  are  to  be  laid  down 
in  proper  coordination.  Single  trees  should  be  scat- 
tered irregularly  here  and  there,  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  harmonize  with  the  larger  masses,  and  to  take  off 
the  stiif  and  constrained  appearance  presented  by  the 
outlines  of  the  denser  plantations.  By  this  mode  of 
2;rouping,  the  grass  lands  will  be  thrown  into  masses 
of  greater  breadth,  and  the  surrounding  woods  and 
groups  of  trees  will  exhibit  entire  scenes  of  themselves, 
connected  yet  dissimilar,  united  yet  diversified,  by  the 
ever-varying  interchange  of  glade  and  wood,  of  broad 
grassy  expanse  and  clump  and  group,  or  single  trees, 
and  exhibiting  at  one  time  the  deep  shade  and  dense 
color  of  the  mass,  and  at  another  the  lighter  and  airier 
graces  of  individual  forms.  "When  a  park  is  laid  out 
on  these  principles,  that  is,  with  a  properly  arranged 
gradation  of  combined  masses  and  groups,  and  a  bird's- 
eye  view  of  it  is  taken,  it  will  present  a  highly-diver- 
sified appearance ;  and  though  there  are  few  surfaces 
on  which  the  whole  system  of  grouping  can  be  made 
visible  at  once,  yet  from  so  much  ot  it  as  can  be  seen, 
the  successive  pictures  will  be  more  numerous  and 
more  pleasing  than  can  be  afforded  by  any  chance- 
medley  system.  The  increase  of  variety  and  intricacy 
in  form  and  position,  will  invariably  produce,  in  a  cor- 
responding degree,  a  diversity  in  the  succession  and 
intensity  of  light  and  shade.  In  short,  we  have  the 
certain  superiority  of  design,  if  that  design  is  not  ob- 
trusively formal  and  artificial,  over  the  imperfect, 
irregular,  occasionally  interesting,  but  rarely  occurring 


OROUPIXa   OK   COMBINATION    OF    PLANTATIONS.     123 

beauties  of  accident.  The  principle  of  grouping,  in 
parks  and  pleasure-grounds,  though  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance, has,  we  believe,  been  sadly  neglected,  both 
in  the  original  formation  and  in  the  improvement  of 
country  residences.  Many  planters  seem  to  have  no 
conception  of  the  principle.  Others  seem  to  have 
been  disposed  to  cover  with  trees  all  surfaces  which 
they  could  not  turn  to  any  other  account.  Some  have 
been  seized  with  the  itch  of  transplantation  ;  they  have 
not  known  when  to  stop,  and  have  clung  with  invin- 
cible pertinacity  to  the  misdeeds  which  they  have  ac- 
comjilished  M'ith  much  expense  and  labor.  Some, 
again,  have  been  unwilling  to  cut  down  old  trees  —  a 
reluctance  with  which  we  cordiallj^  sympathize  —  and 
have  failed  to  connect  them  skillfully  with  the  adjacent 
masses,  which  either  have  been  or  might  have  been 
formed.  The  only  consolation  in  these  cases  is,  that 
the  labyrinthine  effect  formerly  alluded  to  not  unfre- 
quently  cloaks  the  deformities,  if  at  the  same  time  it 
obstructs  and  precludes  the  beauties  which  might  have 
existed.  We  see  little  of  the  confusion,  because  the 
dense  encumbrances  of  the  landscape  do  not  permit 
us  to  see  much  of  any  thing.  The  eye  of  taste,  indeed, 
can  often  discern  the  loss,  and  suggests  regrets  that 
so  many  natural  advantages  have  been  thrown  away. 
There  is,  however,  one  specific  fault  to  which  the  neg- 
lect of  general  grouping  very  commonly  leads,  and 
which  ought  not  to  be  passed  over  without  some  ani- 
madversion—  we  mean  what  has  been  ludicrously  but 
appropriately  called  the  Dotting  System.  This  consists 
in  placing  a  number  of  objects  in  nearly  equidistant 
positions,  without  reference  to  their  intrinsic  or  relative 
importance.     Examples  of  this  mode  of  planting  occur 


124:  PAKKS   AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

ia  the  park  when  plantations,  clumps,  or  groups,  are 
set  down  in  complete  isolation,  or  without  any  percep- 
tible relation  to  surrounding  objects.  Trees  are  seen 
occupying  the  broad  spaces  or  narrower  openings  be- 
tween the  woods,  without  a  greater  affinity  to  one 
mass  than  to  another.  This  effect,  exhibited  on  the 
side  of  a  green  hill,  where  it  is  peculiarly  infelicitous, 
has  been  well  compared  to  a  pattern  of  sprigged  mus- 
lin. Into  pleasure-grounds  and  gardens  the  dotting 
system  has  also  intruded :  in  these,  iigures  containing 
shrubs  and  flowers,  as  well  as  single  shrubs  and  trees, 
are  often  sprinkled  witli  the  most  undeviating  regu- 
larity. The  main  object  would  seem  to  be  to  leave 
unoccupied  no  piece  of  grass  or  plat  of  ground  above 
a  certain  and  verj'-  moderate  size.  On  the  lawns  of 
many  gardens  this  paltry  and  tasteless  system  has  been 
carried  out  to  the  greatest  perfection.  A  better  taste, 
indeed,  is  now  being  diifused ;  we  have,  however,  ob- 
served a  finished  specimen  of  this  style  in  a  garden  of 
great  pretension  and  celebrity,  and  which  is  supposed 
to  exhibit  the  very  perfection  of  British  gardening. 
A  pinetum  is  dotted  over  an  extensive  lawn,  without 
respect  to  the  natural  physiognomy  of  the  trees,  and, 
what  is  more  surprising,  without  any  regard,  so  far  as 
we  could  discover,  to  their  botanical  affinities  as  spe- 
cies. A  few  formal  clumps  of  rhododendrons  lend 
their  aid  to  complete  the  general  insipidity.  It  must 
be  admitted,  at  the  same  time,  that  it  is  seldom  that 
lawns  are  dotted  with  such  hardy  tenants.  They  are 
frequently  filled  with  half-hardy  objects,  undergoing 
the  miseries  of  acclimatizing  experiments;*  and  the 

*  All  efforts  in  the  way  of  accommodating  the  plants  of  warmer  regions  to  our 
somewhat  ungenial  chmc,  ought  to  be  encouraged  and  proraotedj  as  every  additiona. 


1 


OUTLINES   OF   PLANTATIONS   IN    THE    PA.RK.         125 

eye  is  regaled  with  the  stunted  growth  and  discolored 
foliage  in  summer,  and  the  stake,  and  the  mat  or  furze 
covering  in  winter.  The  results  of  the  dotting  system 
are,  a  general  monotony,  and  an  insipidity,  which  no 
variety  in  the  character  of  the  trees  or  shrubs  will  ever 
overcome.  There  is  the  same  breadth  of  light  and  shade 
on  this  tree  and  on  that — the  same  patchwork  of  sun- 
beam and  shadow  wherever  the  eye  can  turn.  On  the 
common,  or  in  the  native  forest,  we  do  not  find  the 
wild  denizens  of  nature  put  down  at  equal  distances. 
Where  the  hand  of  man  has  not  interfered,  the  trees 
and  bushes  are  seen  in  masses  and  irregular  clusters, 
with  single  plants  scattered  round. them,  and  forming 
groups  of  greater  or  less  dimensions.  In  the  mass  or 
group- you  will  scarcely  find  half  a  dozen  plants  grow- 
inof  at  the  same  distance  from  each  other.  The  single 
trees  are  mostly  in  closer  proximity  to  some  portion 
of  the  general  group  than  to  another.  Hence  arise 
the  infinitely-diversified  beauties  of  the  native  pine 
forest,  and  the  captivating  and  almost  inimitable  grace 
of  the  wild  oaks  and  birches  on  the  sides  of  the  High- 
land glens:  and  hence,  too,  the  ceaseless  interchange 
of  light  and  shade,  both  on  tree  and  turf,  on  which 
the  eye  never  fails  to  dwell  with  pleasure.  In  short, 
grouping  is  everywhere  productive  of  interest  and 
beauty ;  dotting,  of  insipid  monotony  and  languor. 

Outlines  of  Plantations  in  the  Park. — In  form- 
ing plantations,  it  is  necessary  that  the  outlines  of 
those  portions  of  them  which  require  inclosure  should 

hardy  tree  orshrub  issomucb  clear  gain  to  gardening.  But  the  transition  or  training 
proces-ses  should  be  kept  in  their  proper  place,  viz :  the  inclosed  garden.  Where 
beauty  of  scenery  is  the  object  aimed  at,  the  trees  and  shrubs  should  be  sufficiently 
hardy  for  the  average  climate  of  the  locality.  Those  sUghtly  tender,  or  requiring 
shelter  from  cutting  winds,  may  fiud  some  warm,  quiet  nooks  in  the  flower-garden 
or  plexsurc-grounds. 


126  PAEKS    AND   PLEASUEE-GKOUXDS. 

be  adjusted  with  rcforcuce  both  to  the  general  group- 
ing and  to  the  surfaces  on  which  they  stand.      Of 
course,  these  outlines  should  assume  a  pleasing  variety 
of  form.     Large,  curving  sweeps  seem  to  be  favorite 
lines,  and  they  are  occasionally  fine;  but  they  become 
insipid  when  often  reproduced.     On  the  other  hand, 
the  fretwork  of  numerous  small  recesses  and  projec- 
tions are  equally  wearisome;  besides,  when  seen  in 
front   of  their  general   lines,    their   zigzaggeries   are 
scarcely  discernible ;  and,  indeed,  the  less  the  better. 
Instead  of  these,  let  the  projections  be  bold  and  the 
recesses  deep,  rather  abrupt  than  otherwise,  yet  with- 
out the  appearance  either  of  too  much  angularity  or 
of  roundness.     The  outlines  of  plantations  and  clumps 
in  parks  have  very  frequently  the  expression  of  con- 
strained formality,  and  that,  we  believe,  from  two  dis- 
tinct causes.     The  first  is  the  inferior  character  of  the 
outlines  themselves  ;  and  the  second  is  the  practice  of 
planting  the  trees  either  close  up  to  the  fences  or  in  a 
line  parallel  with  them.     In  some  places,  where  it  may 
be  difiicult  to  have  the  fences  so  formed  as  to  produce, 
by  the  projections  and  recesses  of  the  plantations,  that 
degree  of  light  and  shade  which  is  desirable,  a  general 
line  of  fence  must  be  formed,  as  well  as  circumstances^ 
will  allow,  with  a  forward  and  retiring  bend  where  a 
projection  and  a  recess  are  w-anted,  the  effect  of  the 
latter  being  brought  out  by  the  planting.     This  is  a 
useful  method  to  adopt  with  clumps.     In  these,  a  gen- 
eral line  of  fence,  curving  round  the  promontories,  if 
we  may  so  call  them,  and  bending  toward,  but  not 
entering  deeply  into,  the  bays,  will  be  free  from  those 
angularities  which  it  is  impossible  to  avoid  when  the 
fence  follows  servilely  the  feathery  outline  of  the  trees. 


.^ 


BELT?,    CIRCLES,    ETC.  127 

At  the  first  planting,  the  proper  recesses  should  bo 
left  entirely  vacant  within  the  lence.  Unless  this  is 
done,  one  or  other  of  two  results  is  necessary, —  either 
an  extremely  irregular  outline  offence,  whicli  from  il.s 
crooked  continuity  is  ofl'ensive,  or,  if  this  is  avoided, 
the  very  great  probability  that  the  wood  will  never  be 
properly  tl)inned  and  grouped  out  at  an  after  period. 
This  remark  holds  specially  true  of  clumps  planted  for 
the  subsequent  formation  of  groups.  Many  things 
which  "  the  prophetic  eye  of  taste  "  designs,  are  for- 
gotten in  the  routine  of  the  present,  and  the  mind 
grows  familiar  and  satisfied  with  what  was  never  in- 
tended to  be  permanent.  Perhaps,  at  length,  in  the 
estimation  of  the  forester,  the  well-kept  fence  becomes 
of  more  importance  than  the  clum]^^f  itself,  and  all  the 
attention  the  latter  receives  is  a  little  thinning  at  times. 
For  these  reasons,  we  earnestly  recommend  that  the 
feathered  outline  of  the  plantation  should  be  carefully 
formed  at  once,  even  though  considerable  vacant 
spaces  should  be  left  w^ithin  the  fence.  Of  course  this 
recommendation  is  not  intended  to  apply  to  all  cases ; 
but  there  are  many  places  in  which  its  adoption  is  the 
only  method  of  securing  a  varied  outline  of  trees, 
with  a  pleasing  outline  of  fence  ;  and  there  are  other 
places  in  which  a  considerable  improvement  may  be 
effected  by  its  partial  use. 

Belts,  Circles,  etc — Belts  should  never  be  intro- 
duced into  the  interior  of  the  park;  in  their  straight 
outlines  and  heavy  uniformity  there  is  a  total  want  of 
variety  and  intricacy  of  effect.  On  the  extreme 
boundary,  something  like  a  belt  may  be  at  times  in- 
dispensable. On  those  farm  lands  where  shelter,  not 
beauty,  is  desired,  the  belt,  provided  it  is  of  sufficient 


128  PARKS    AND    PLKASUKE-GROUXDS. 

breadth,  is  one  of  the  most  useful  forms  of  plantation. 
Circles  and  ovals  should  be  entire!}'  confined  to  the 
flower-beds  of  the  dressed  grounds,  among  which, 
when  small,  their  effect  is  good  enough.  In  the  park, 
they  are  distinguished  by  their  invariable  tufty  char- 
acter, betraying  clearly  their  formal  and  monotonous 
outline.  Of  all  forms  of  plantation,  they  are  among 
the  most  intractable  with  which  the  improver  has  to 
deal.  If  the  wood  could  be  spared,  their  entire  re- 
moval would  be  the  speediest  and  most  advisable  im- 
provement to  whicb  they  could  be  subjected ;  but  as 
this  can  seldom  be  done,  the  improver  must  exert  his 
ingenuity  in  grouping  them  out,  or  in  making  such 
additions  to  their  mass  as  their  size,  position,  and  the 
nature  of  the  ground  will  allow. 

JS'ote.' — After  the  full  and  exceedingly  practical  re- 
marks of  our  author,  on  the  several  heads  of  park 
improvement,  scarcely  a  word  need  be  added.  Yet, 
as  the  formation  of  American  parks,  different  from 
English  ones,  as  frequently  consists  in  cutting  out, 
thinning,  and  clearing  away  the  forest,  or  parts  of  it, 
as  otherwise,  a  remark  or  two  may  be  applicable  to 
that  branch  of  the  subject. 

In  remarking  on  the  naked  appearance  of  our  coun- 
try, in  its  most  extensively  cultivated  districts,  nothing 
is  more  common  than  the  expression  of  regret  and 
disapprobation  at  the  sweeping  manner  in  which  the 
original  forests  have  been  cut  away  by  the  early  set- 
tlers, and  that  so  few,  or  scarcely  any  trees  are  left  to 
shade  and  embellish  the  land.  Such  expressions  are 
usually  made  witliout  a  proper  knowledge  of  the  sub- 
ject, and  which  a  better  acquaintance  with  the  char- 
acter of  our  original  forests  would  correct.     It  is  not 


BELTS,  CIRCLES,  ETC.  129 

aeniecl  that  a  recklessness  in  cutting  away  and  sweep- 
ing off  every  vestige  of  the  forest,  in  some  cases 
Avliere  it  might  be  beneficially  lell,  is  too  often  the 
case;  but  M-hen  we  reflect  that  the  main  object  is 
to  bring  the  forest  lands  under  immediate  cultivation, 
and  that  such  cultivation  can  not  succeed  under  shade, 
and  among  a  mass  of  living  roots,  lying  mostly  near 
the  surface,  such  as  original  forest  trees  usually  pre- 
sent, it  need  be  no  cause  of  surprise  that  the  pioneer, 
looking  only  to  his  bread,  and  the  future  support  of 
his  family,  should  clear  his  lands  of  every  impediment 
to  so  desirable  an  end.  In  point  of  utility,  he  is  en- 
tirely right.  For  cultivation  aloDe,  in  its  most  profit- 
able result,  a  field  should  never  have  a  tree  nor  a 
shrub  within  it.  Pastures,  only,  require  them  ;  and  it 
is  a  subject  of  discussion  still,  with  graziers  and  stock 
farmers,  whether  shade  trees  are  at  all  beneficial  to 
the  growth  and  thrift  of  cattle  —  the  subject  of  taste, 
or  embellishment  to  the  land,  by  the  presence  of  trees, 
being  excluded.  Our  forests  are  composed  of  trees 
thickly  set,  and  drawn  up  to  great  heights,  with  bare 
stems,  small,  slender  tops,  and  roots  widely  spreading 
near  the  surface  of  the  ground.  A  continual  struggle 
for  supremacy  has  existed  with  them,  ever  since  they 
grew  at  all,  and  each  tree  striving  with  all  its  might 
to  overtop  its  neighbor,  and  shoot  up  into  the  light  and 
sun,  which  are  indispensable  to  their  existence.  A 
part  of  the  forest  being  cut  away,  and  sun,  and  air, 
and  their  drying  influences  admitted,  many  of  the 
border  trees  of  the  standing  forest  sicken  and  die 
from  the  absence  of  their  usual  moisture ;  others  are 
prostrated  by  the  violence  of  the  winds  which  now 
break  in  upon  them  through  the  clearings ;  and  even 
6* 


130  PAKKS    AND    PLEASUHE-GROUNDS. 

if  left  standiug  in  masses,  years  of  time  arc  necessary 
to  acclimate  the  exposed  trees,  and  quicken  tliem  into 
a  renewed  and  healthy  growth.  AYhat,  then,  must  be 
the  condition  of  a  single  tree,  or  a  dozen,  or  iifty  trees, 
even  if  left  contiguons  to  each  other,  deprived  of  their 
mutual  support,  the  shade  of  the  underwood  beneath 
them,  and  their  accustomed  moisture  at  the  root,  with 
the  glaring  heat  of  the  sun  drying  up  their  trunks,  and 
the  driving  winds  heaving  at  their  tops  like  a  huge 
lever  acting  on  their  thin-spread  roots,  spread  over  a 
surface  of  soft,  porous  mould?  They  must  be  blown 
down,  or  die  a  lingering  and  miserable  death,  of  neces- 
sit}^,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  at  least,  where  the  ex- 
periment is  tried.  Occasionally  a  tree,  more  firmly 
rooted  in  the  soil  than  usual,  maj-  survive.  But  what, 
in  case  it  do  survive,  is  such  a  tree  good  for  ?  Its  huge, 
bare  trunk,  shooting  up  into  the  sky,  and  supporting  a 
meager  tuft  of  half-feathered  branches,  is  any  thing  but 
an  object  of  beauty ;  it  scarce  ever  grows  another 
inch,  and  remains  only  as  a  specimen  of  what  the 
forest  among  which  it  stood  once  may  have  been.  It 
is  measurably  so  with  smaller  trees,  few  of  which, 
mider  like  circumstances,  survive  at  all ;  or  if  they  do, 
scarcely  ever  arrive  at  a  full  and  vigorous  maturity. 
We  speak  feelingly,  and  from  long  experience.  The 
acres  of  forest  which  have  been  cleared  under  our 
immediate  supervision,  may  be  counted  almost  by  the 
thousand  ;  and  among  the  multitude  of  trees  which  Ave 
caused  to  be  left,  in  various  kinds,  and  under  all  cir- 
cumstances, not  one  in  a  hundred  remain ;  and  were 
we  now  to  make  a  choice,  at  the  end  of  twenty  years, 
to  produce  the  best  eftect  in  a  forest  plantation,  whether 
to  go  into  an  old,  dense  wood,  and  clear  j^ortions  of  it 


AKTinCI^VL    STYLE.  131 

out,  or  cut  it  all  down,  and  clear  it  away,  and  take  the 
chances  of  the  young  growth  immediately  springing 
up  to  supply  its  place,  we  should  assuredly  take  the 
latter.  In  such  case,  however,  we  should  not  apply 
fire  to  the  clearing;  the  brush  should  be  simply  thrown 
together,  and  if  the  timber  and  wood  were  not  avail- 
able to  be  draM-n  away,  they  should  be  Icit  on  the 
ground,  to  decay  and  keep  it  moist.  The  young  wood 
will  immediately  spring  up  anew,  and  grow  with  a 
rapidity  which  would  rc-clothe  it  in  a  surprisingly 
brief  space  of  time ;  and  this,  thinned  by  degrees, 
could  be  trained  and  fashioned  into  the  finest  models 
of  forest  grace  and  beauty. 

There  are  positions,  howcvez',  where  limited  tracts 
of  wood  exist,  and  oi  second  growth  on  light,  dry  soils, 
W'here  it  may  be  safe  to  enter,  and  by  a  gradual  thin- 
ning and  clearing  out,  letting  in  by  degrees  the  sun 
and  air,  the  remaining  trees  may  be  preserved  without 
injury  to  their  growth.  Such  woods  should  be  thus 
treated  ;  but  under  the  circumstances  before  described, 
the  felling  and  clearing  off  of  the  entire  forest  is  the 
better  course;  and  where  they  are  required,  young 
trees  had  better  be  set  out  anew,  than  to  trust  the  con- 
tingences  of  preserving  the  original  trees,  which  will 
be  almost  sure  to  end  in  disappointment. — Ed. 

Artificial  Style. — In  our  remarks  on  parks  and 
pleasure-grounds,  we  have  hitherto  kept  in  view  almost 
exclusively  the  natural  style  in  these  departments  of  gar- 
dening. We  would  not,  however,  altogether  overlook 
that  artificial  style  once  so  much  in  vogue,  but  which, 
though  now  antiquated,  is  worthy  of  preservation 
wliere  fine  specimens  of  it  exist,  aiid  which  might  even 
be  reproduced,  at  least  in  part,  in  certain  cases.     It  is 


132  PARKS   AXD    PLEASUEE-GKOUNDS. 

a  poor  and  pedantic  taste  which  can  derive  pleasure 
on]}'-  from  one  kind  of  beauty.  The  main  features  of 
this  style,  in  the  park,  are  avenues  and.  alleys,  the  lat- 
ter being  sometimes  parallel,  sometimes  crossing  each 
other  obliquely,  or  radiating  from  a  common  center; 
and  in  the  pleasure-grounds,  in  addition  to  these,  the 
principal  characteristics  are  terraces,  stairs,  fountains, 
and  statues.  Portions  of  these  means  of  ornament 
have  been  adoj^ted  witli  good  effect  in  many  well-laid- 
out  places.  We  should  be  disposed  to  recommend 
them,  as  indeed  we  have,  in  connection  with  the  man- 
sion-house and  flower-garden.  "When  the  structure  of 
the  ground  is  favorable,  they  form  a  suitable  transition 
from  the  highly  artificial  forms  of  architecture,  to  the 
free,  unconstrained  developments  of  natural  objects. 
In  the  park,  angular  and  radiating  alleys  are  perhaps 
tolerable  only  in  level  situations,  or  when  they  can  be 
viewed  from  a  moderately  elevated  platform  occupied 
by  the  mansion-house. 

AvEXUES. — ^We  seldom  recommend  the  planting  of 
avenues  in  the  park,  except  in  certain  localities  noticed 
in  our  remarks  on  the  approach.  The  stiff  formality 
of  the  avenue  is  injurious  to  park  scenery,  as  it  fre- 
quently divides,  by  its  straight  lines,  a  fine  expanse  of 
grass,  and  obscures  t!ie  most  interesting  part  of  the 
landscape.  Another  objection  to  the  avenue  is,  that 
it  requires  to  grow  for  the  lifetime  of  two  or  three 
generations,  before  it  produces  its  full  effect ;  and  it  is 
not  surprising,  therefore,  that  it  is  so  seldom  planted. 
The  same  trees,  arranged  in  groups  and  clumps,  would 
present  a  beautiful  appearance  in  one-third  of  the 
time. 

Avenues  should  hardly  ever  be  attempted,  except 


AVENUES.  133 

on  a  level  surface,  or  on  ground  with  a  slight  and  uni- 
form rise.  A  close  avenue,  composed  of  two  rows  of 
trees,  and  planted  on  an  undulating  surface,  has  al- 
ways a  poor  look:  on  tlie  contrary,  even  in  such  situa- 
tions, where  there  are  breadth  and  mass,  as  in  the 
compound  avenues  at  Windsor,  the  effect  is  fine. 

Th§  question  may  be  asked,  "  What  is  to  be  done 
with  an  old  established  avenue  ?  "  We  may  answer, 
partly  in  the  words  of  Mr.  Gilpin.  "The  avenue," 
says  he,  ^'  is  in  general  so  destitute  of  composition,  by 
cutting  the  landscape  in  half,  that  the  introduction  of 
it  must  depend  upon  the  circumstances  of  the  place 
itself.  On  the  other  hand,  where  time  has  invested  it 
with  dignity,  and  the  rest  of  the  scenery  is  coeval  with 
it,  temerity  rather  than  judgment  would  dictate  its 
destruction.  Breaking  it  by  partial  removal  is,  I 
think,  equally  injudicious."  With  the  opinions  here 
expressed  we  heartily  concur.  We  venerate  an  old 
avenue,  with  its  double  or  quadruple  rows  of  ancestral 
trees.  No  sacrilegious  axe  ought  to  be  lifted  up  against 
them,  even  thougli  they  divide  the  landscape  in  two. 
The  destruction  of  a  magnificent  range  of  limes,  or 
elms,  or  chestnuts,  hallowed  by  immemorial  associa- 
tions, is  too  great  a  sacrifice  to  any  prevailing  taste, 
however  excellent ;  and  if  by  breaking  is  meant  the 
removal  of  the  greater  part  of  the  trees,  and  the  pre- 
servation of  such  a  small  residue  as  will  mark  the 
position  of  the  old  lines,  the  effect  would  be  worse 
than  a  total  removal. 

In  the  dressed  grounds,  avenues,  without  injury  to 
the  general  effect,  may  sometimes  be  formed  through 
some  of  the  large  masses  of  wood ;  but  in  these  cases 
the  trees  should  not  be  placed  at  greater  distances  than 


134  PARKS   AND    PLEASUEE-GK0UND8. 

is  sufficient  for  a  broad  M-alk  or  ordinary  drive.  We 
do  not  admire  a  practice  which  has  become  common 
of  late, —  that,  viz.,  of  j^lanting  some  of  the  finest 
lawns  of  pleasure-gromids  with  avenues  of  the  Indian 
cedar.  (Phius  Deodara.)  Judging  from  the  char- 
acter of  this  tree,  as  well  as  from  the  peculiar  forms 
of  the  fir  tribe,  we  have  great  doubts  whether  these 
cedars  will  ever  produce  a  fine  av-enue  except  as  a 
broad  and  open  one,  with  double  rows  on  each  side. 
The  Indian  cedar  itself  is  highly  interesting  and  beau- 
tiful ;  so  far  as  we  yet  know  it,  it  seems  admirably 
adapted  for  light  grouping  or  single  trees,  and  it  is  to 
be  hoped  that  it  will  prove  sufliciently  hardy,  not  only 
to  live  in  our  climate,  but  also  to  attain  that  magnitude 
and  form,  which  have  so  often  awakened  the  admira- 
tion of  travelers  in  the  East. 

I^ote. — In  relation  to  "  artificial  style,"  and  "  ave- 
nues," we  happily  have  so  few  places  of  such  charac- 
ter that  they  are  of  rare  impediment  to  those  who  wish 
to  form  either  parks  or  pleasure-grounds  anew.  Pos- 
sessing such,  however,  a  fine  old  mansion,  and  stately 
trees,  in  whatever  form  they  may  stand,  are  objects  of 
decided  respectability,  and  may  be  preserved  and 
cherished  without  violence  to  a  very  considerable  de- 
gree of  beauty  and  eflect,  in  their  way.  The  hand  of 
"  improvement,"  in  our  fast  age,  may  well  spare  the 
relics  of  a  bygone  century,  which  could  boast,  we  fear, 
a  sturdier  virtue,  and  a  higher  patriotism  than  pre- 
vails among  their  more  money-loving  successors. — Ed. 


OENAMENTAL   CHARACTERS   OF   TREES.  135 


CHAPTER  V. 

ORNAMENTAL  CHARACTERS  OF  TREES,  DETACHED  AND 
IN  COMUTNATION. 

Introductory  Remarks;, 

Sect.  I.  The  Forms  of  Single  Tr^-t-s  —  Dread  RoUnd-headed  Trees  — 
The  Spiry,  Conical,  or  Pyramidal  Configuration  —  The  Upright  or 
Oblongated  —  Tlie  Weeping  or  Pendulous. 

Sect.  II.  The  Colors  of  Trees  — Table  of  the  Colors  of  Foliage  of 
Trees — General  Remarks. 

Sect.  III.  The  Ornamental  Character  of  Trees  in  Combination  —  Coni- 
cal or  Pyramidal  Trees — Round-iieaded  Trees — Intermingling  of 
the  different  Forms  and  Colors  —  Concluding  Remarks. 

If  we  may  assimilate  landscape-gardening  to  land- 
scape-painting, we  would  say  that  trees  are  the  princi- 
pal means  of  ornament  available  to  the  garden  artist. 
They  are,  as  it  were,  the  colors  with  which  he  paints, 
and  with.M'hich  lie  fills  up  the  outlines  presented  by 
nature  or  selected  by  his  own  taste.  We  have  already 
touched  generally  on  the  massing  and  grouping  of 
trees  —  that  is,  so  lar  as  regards  the  forms  and  posi- 
tions of  these  groups  and  masses,  and  their  relative 
combinations.  Something  remains  to  be  said  respect- 
ing the  ornamental  character  or  expression,  if  we  may 
so  call  it,  of  trees,  and  of  the  facilities  which  they 
consequently  aiford  in  the  laying  out  or  improvement 
of  park  and  garden  scenery. 


136  PAEKS    ANT>   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

The  comparative  value  of  trees,  as  means  of  orna- 
ment, is  a  subject  which  has  been  little  studied  ;  or,  at 
least,  it  has  been  imperfectly  expounded  in  books ;  and 
yet  it  is  one  of  very  great  importance.  The  expression 
of  the  ground  outline  of  a  wood  or  clump,  for  example, 
may  be  perfect  in  itself,  but  it  may  be  modified  into 
very  different  degrees  of  excellence  by  the  character 
of  the  trees  of  which  it  is  composed.  We  can  con- 
ceive two  parks  as  nearly  as  possible  the  same  in  other 
respects,  still,  if  each  is  planted  with  trees  of  a  dis- 
tinct and  peculiar  kind,  the  difference  of  effects  result- 
ing will  be  so  great  as  very  much  to  diminish  any  ori- 
ginal resemblance  between  them.  Firs,  when  planted 
by  themselves,  or  where  they  prevail  to  the  general 
exclusion  of  deciduous  trees,  give  a  permanent  ever- 
green character  to  the  park.  When  the  plantations 
are  occupied  by  the  common  run  of  trees  that  shed 
their  leaves,  without  a  due  admixture  of  the  fir  tribe, 
the  results  will  be  masses  of  foliage  during  the  sum- 
mer and  autumn  months,  and  an  obvious  bareness  and 
meagerness  in  winter  and  spring,  particularly  where 
the  bodies  of  wood  are  small,  or  are  deficient  in  breadth. 
It  is  evident  that  much  must  be  gained  by  a  skillful 
distribution  and  mixture  of  both  classes.  The  same 
remarks  apply,  and  perhaps  with  increased  force,  to 
groups  of  single  trees,  and  to  detached  trees ;  these 
are  very  much  dependent  for  their  beauty  and  general 
effect  on  the  kind  of  the  trees  employed. 

Our  present  object  is  rather  to  bring  the  ornamental 
character  of  trees  before  the  notice  of  our  readers,  than 
to  attempt  a  full  exposition  of  a  subject  which,  in  a 
general  point  of  view,  is  somewhat  indefinite;  and 
which,  in  its  particular  aspects,  branches  out  into  a 


THE   FORMS    OF    SINGLE    TREES.  137 

multitude  of  details.  Our  remarks  may  be  directed, 
first,  to  trees  individually  in  respect  to  form ;  then,  to 
their  color;  and  lastly,  to  their  expression  in  combined 
masses  and  o-roups. 


Sect.  I. — The  Forms  of  Single  Trees. 

The  forms  assumed  by  the  individuals  of  any  species 
of  tree,  such  as  the  oak  or  Scotch  fir,  vary  much  with 
the  soil,  situation,  and  age  of  the  particular  tree,  yet 
amid  all  their  diversities  they  preserve  a  character  at 
once  discernible  by  the  practiced  eye.  The  oaks  in 
the  rich  and  open  park,  in  the  crowded  forest,  and  in 
the  mountain  ravine  differ  greatly  from  each  other, 
but  they  are  plainly  oaks,  and  have  each  a  beauty  of 
their  own.  How  dissimilar,  also,  the  plume-like  ash 
in  its  youth,  rushing  up  in  some  sheltered  valley,  to 
the  round-headed  ash  of  middle  age,  in  an  open  situa- 
tion, and  still  more  to  the  gnarled,  large-timbered, 
wavy-boughed,  and  pendulous-branched  ash,  bending 
under  the  weight  of  years.  In  the  same  species,  too, 
there  are  often  constitutional  differences,  amounting 
almost  to  what  botanists  call  varieties.  These  circum- 
stances necessarily  preclude  minute  verbal  description. 
Still  there  are  certain  general  forms  affected  by  trees 
in  their  natural  growth,  and  all  that  is  required  for  the 
purpose  of  the  planter  is  to  keep  these  steadily  in  view. 
Though  every  species  and  variety  of  tree  has  its  own 
peculiar  expression,  if  not  distinct  character,  we  do 
not  deem  it  necessary  to  advert  to  each  separately, 
believing  it  to  be  sufficient  for  the  illustration  of  our 
subject,  to  class  them  under  four  leading  divisions,  and 


138  PARKS   AND   PLEASUEE-GEOHNDS. 

then  to  refer  to  a  few  of  the  kinds  principally  em- 
ployed in  ornamental  scenery.  As  we  go  on,  we  may 
point  out  their  most  suitable  and  efi'ective  positions  in 
the  park  and  pleasure-grounds. 

The  first  division  consists  of  trees  with  broad, 
round  heads ;  the  second^  of  those  with  a  spiry,  con- 
ical, or  pyramidal  configuration;  the  tliird,  of  those 
with  upright  or  oblongated  forms;  and  i\i&  fourtli,  of 
those  with  weeping  or  pendulous  branches.  The 
reader  is  reminded  that  these  forms  are  given  merely 
as  approximations :  he  is  not  to  attach  to  them  the 
precision  of  geometrical  figures. 

(1.)  Broad^  Round-headed  Trees. — Of  the  decidu- 
ous kinds,  the  sycamore,  the  American  plane,  the  com- 
mon oak,  the  Turkey  oak,  the  small-leaved  and  Scotch 
elms,  the  ash,  the  tulip-tree,  walnut,  horse-chestnut, 
Spanish  chestnut,  beech,  birch,  hornbeam,  and  otherSi 
The  evergreens  of  this  division  are  few,  viz :  evergreen 
oak,  Luccomb  oak,  yew,  cedar  of  Lebanon,  cedar  of 
Mount  Atlas,  deodar  or  Indian  cedar,  and  Lambert's 
Cypress.     (Cwpressus  macrocarpa.) 

The  Sycamore  is  a  large,  rounded  tree,  fully  branched 
and  of  massive  foliage.  Its  formal  outline,  and  its 
close,  broad  attire  of  leaves,  are  well  suited  to  produce 
depth  of  shade.  It  has  also  the  property  of  retaining 
its  form  in  exposed  situations,  and  in  such  positions  it 
imparts  to  a  clump  or  group  a  more  decided  outline 
than  can  be  given  by  any  other  hard-wood  tree. 
Ar  The  Ash  lias  a  light  foliage,  and  a  graceful,  airy 
appearance,  particularly  when  the  branches  assume  a 
pendent  habit.  It  generally  displays  much  of  the  in- 
ternal arrangement  of  its  boughs,  which  is  often  pic- 
turesque in  old  age.     It  would  be  a  fine  lawn  tree  did 


BROAD  ROUND-HEADED  TREES.         139 

it  not  continue  so  short  a  time  in  leaf.  It  grows  well 
in  exposed  situations. 

The  common  Oak  is  a  magnificent  tree  when  well 
grown,  either  in  the  w-ood  or  on  the  lawn.  On  the  lat- 
ter it  acquires  a  broad,  spreading  figure.  It  is  also  a 
noble  forest  tree,  and  it  shonld  be  planted  wherever 
the  soil  and  climate  are  suitable.  Its  robust  habit,  its 
rectangular,  contorted,  and  often  horizontal  branches, 
and  peculiar  foliage,  afford  a  more  diversified  expres- 
sion than,  perhaps,  is  to  be  found  in  any  other  hardy 
tree.  Hence  the  absence  of  monotony  observable  in 
great  oak  forests. 

The  Scotch  or  Wycli  Elm  is  a  fine,  broad,  spreading 
tree,  approaching  to  the  characteristics  of  the  oak. 
The  English  Elm  has  smaller  leaves,  but  denser 
branchlets,  and  is  a  square-headed  tree,  often  ascend- 
ing to  a  great  height  in  a  columnar  form.  The  Beec\ 
in  sheltered  places,  where  it  has  ample  room,  forms  a 
large,  stately  tree,  of  a  full,  graceful,  feathery  appear- 
ance. In  exposed  localities  it  yields  to  the  prevailing 
winds,  and  becomes  meager  and  one-sided.  "When 
planted  in  a  mass,  it  is  deficient  in  that  repose  which, 
marks  some  of  the  kinds  already  mentioned.  The 
Lime  is  peculiarly  a  park  and  lawn  tree.  Standing 
detached,  in  a  sheltered  situation,  it  has  a  fine,  stately 
presence,  particularly  when  its  lower  branches  droop ; 
and  it  forms  a  noble  avenue,  whether  open  or  close. 
The  Sx>anish  Chestnut  is  almost  as  fine  as  the  oak, 
and  exhibits  a  broad  green  foliage,  and  a  varying  ex- 
pression with  the  advance  of  the  season.  The  Horse- 
Chestmit  has  also  a  large  foliage,  and  in  early  sum- 
mer throws  out  abundant  spikes  of  showy  flowers. 
Its  head  is  rather  too  uniform,  yet  when  placed  on  the 


140  PARKS   AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

outside  of  a  plantation,  or  the  lower  edge  of  a  bank, 
it  is  often  highly  ornamental.  The  forms  of  the  black 
Italian  and  American  poplars  are  of  a  rather  inferior 
descri])tion ;  but  some  members  of  the  family  have 
good  qualities  in  the  way  of  color,  and  from  their  ra- 
pidity of  growth  are  often  extremely  useful. 

Of  broad-headed  evergreens,  the  Tew  is  one  of  the 
finest  of  our  native  trees.  It  is  of  a  spreading  habit 
and  low  stature,  seldom  attaining  to  a  considerable 
size  on  a  lawn  till  it  is  of  great  age.  Many  of  the 
yews  in  our  pleasure-grounds  are  probably  the  remains 
of  hedges,  or  trees  that  have  escaped  the  shears  of  the 
topiary  artist,  these  having  been  his  principal  material 
in  old  times.  It  must  be  admitted  that  the  yew  is  less 
valuable  for  its  form  than  for  its  color.  The  same  re- 
mark applies  to  the  Ilex  or  Evergreen  Oak.,  wdiich, 
however,  is  of  some  importance  for  its  foreign  air,  be- 
ing the  best  representative  of  the  olive  which  we  have 
in  this  country.  "  In  the  warmer  parts  of  England 
and  Ireland,"  says  Loudon,  (and  we  may  add  in  Scot- 
land,) "  the  ilex  forms  a  bushy  evergreen  tree,  exceed- 
ing the  middle  size.  The  general  appearance  of  the 
623ecies,  even  when  well  grown,  is  that  of  an  immense 
bush.  It  should  be  planted  in  the  more  ornamental 
woods  of  the  park,  as  well  as  in  the  dressed  grounds; 
and  it  forms  an  interesting  variety  in  the  shrubbery." 

Tiie  Cedar  of  Lebanon  is  at  once  a  very  celebrated 
and  a  very  admirable  tree.  Its  great  breadth,  its  as- 
cending trunk,  or,  more  frequently,  numerous  trunk- 
like limbs,  and  its  tabulated,  horizontally-spreading 
secondary  branches,  all  contribute  to  give  it  a  very 
unusual  and  striking  configuration.  It  harmonizes 
finely  with  the  level,  architectural  lines  of  the  mansion 


BROAD  ROUND-HEADED  TREES.  141 

house  and  terraces,  and  seems  to  repeat  them  in  aerial 
perspective.  It  contrasts  well  M'ith  all  other  sorts  of 
trees;  it  also  makes  up  striking  groups  in  tlie  park 
and  dressed  grounds.  "We  regard  it  as  a  matter  of 
regret  that,  in  many  districts  of  the  country,  the  cedar 
has  been  so  sparingly  planted. 

Kot  inferior  to  the  preceding,  perhaps  we  might 
even  say  superior,  is  the  Deodar  or  Indian  Cedai\  a 
native  of  the  Himalaya  mountains,  and  unquestion- 
ably the  most  important  additi(^  made  of  late  years 
to  our  collections  of  hardy  trees.  As  it  flourishes  in 
its  native  clime,  it  is  thus  described  by  Dr.  Iloff- 
meister :  "  It  is  the  most  beautiful  of  the  fir  tribe  that 
exists  in  any  part  of  the  world.  It  shoots  up  with  a 
tall,  straight,  taper  stem,  often  a  hundred  feet  in  height, 
and  not  uufrequently  forty  feet  in  circumference.  The 
branches  grow  in  stages,  at  regular  intervals,  and 
spread  out  like  overshadowing  roofs."  As  it  is  appa- 
rently hardy,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  its  growth  may  not 
be  arrested  "  in  mid  career  "  by  some  peculiarity  of  our 
climate,  as  has  been  the  case  with  the  hemlock  spruce, 
and  some  other  firs.  In  its  youthful  state,  in  which 
alone  it  is  yet  known  to  us,  its  reclining  leading  shoot 
erecting  itself  continually  in  its  second  year's  growth, 
its  drooping,  tress-like  branchlets,  and  its  light  green 
color,  combine  to  make  it  a  jDcculiarly  graceful  object. 
It  may  be  strongly  recommended  for  both  the  park 
and  the  pleasure-grounds.  In  the  latter,  it  should  be 
planted  where  it  has  room  to  develop  its  natural  char- 
acter. In  the  park,  it  should  be  put  down  in  groups 
of  some  half-dozen  trees.  We  have  already  adverted 
to  its  use  in  avenues.  As  it  is  at  present  a  fashionable 
tree,  it  is  introduced  into  all  sorts  of  little  flower-gardens 


142  PARKS   AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

and  miniature  lawns,  v.-here,  if  it  thrives,  as  we  de- 
sire it  may,  it  will  speedily  overshadow  every  thing 
else.  We  would  strongly  urge  the  extensive  but  con- 
siderate planting  of  this  fine  tree. 

(2.)  The  second  general  form  of  trees  is  a  varied 
one,  and  may  be  held  as  embracing  three  subordinate 
figures :  the  rounded  cone  of  the  Scotch  fir,  and  some 
others  of  its  class,  and  generally  of  the  holly;  the 
truncated  cone  of  the  silver  fir;  and  the  spiry,  elon- 
gated cone  of  the  vaiifous  spruces,  larches,  Swiss  Cem- 
bran  pine,  and  perhaps  the  deciduous  cypress.  Many 
of  the  pines  lately  introduced,  such  as  P.  excelsa^ 
Lanihertiana^  Sabiniana^  inacrocarjya^  are  certainly 
pyramidal,  and  will  fall  under  one  or  other  of  these 
subdivisions  when  aged.  Indeed,  the  w^hole  class  of 
conifers  assume  their  final  form  only  when  fiir  advanced 
in  growth. 

The  Holly  is  almost  the  only  broad-leaved  tree  of 
this  group.  It  is  generally  of  a  low,  bushy  form, 
rounded,  but  sometimes  also  with  a  spiry  cone.  Grow- 
ing in  woods,  and  on  a  light  soil,  we  have  seen  it  sixty 
feet  in  height,  and  with  a  trunk  eight  feet  in  circum- 
ference. It  may  be  planted  in  the  dressed  grounds, 
and  also  in  the  woods  of  the  park,  as  underwood, 
among  deciduous  trees.  "When  scattered  along  the 
outskirts  of  a  recess  or  glade,  it  has  a  fine  effect  in 
thickening  th^mass  and  deepening  the  shade. 

The  Scotch  Fir  has  been  planted  to  a  much  greater 
extent  than  any  other  fir,  in  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land. No  tree  has  been  more  decried  and  condemned 
as  being  ugly ;  and  certainly,  in  many  cases  this  dis- 
praise has  been  deserved;  a  close,  ill-thinned,  and 
worse-pruned  plantation  of  this  tree,   on  a  flat  and 


TREES    OF  TAKIorS    FORMS.  143 

undrained  surface,  presents,  both  externally  and  intcr- 
.  nally,  a  heavy,  mean,  uninviting  appearance.  But 
part  of  the  blame  should  fall  on  the  want  of  judgment 
often  evinced  in  the  lirst  planting,  and  on  the  neglect 
with  which  it  is  as  often  followed.  In  suitable  situa- 
tions, and  with  proper  treatment,  it  attains  a  beauty 
not  inferior  to  that  of  any  other  inhabitant  of  the 
forest.  The  Highland  variet}^  is  superior  to  tlie  com- 
mon one,  both  in  the  quality  of  the  timber  and  in  its 
outward  appearance;  it  has  a  smoother  bark,  and, 
throwing  out  its  branches  more  nearlv  at  riirht  ane'les 
to  the  stem,  it  assumes  a  more  cylindrical  and  less 
tufted  form. 

The  Pinaster  is  of  a  medium  size  and  conical  form, 
with  massive  dark-green  foliage.  It  is  of  rapid  growth, 
thriving  best  on  sandy,  or  light  loamy  soils,  and  is  well 
adapted  to  the  vicinity  of  the  sea.  The  Weijrnouth 
Pine,  in  this  country,  is  of  medium  size,  and,  unless 
when  planted  pretty  closely,  is  apt  to  become  a  bushy 
tree,  With  its  light-green  foliage,  it  has  a  more  lively 
effect  in  a  mass  than  most  others  of  the  fir  tribe.  P. 
excelsa  is  allied  to  the  latter.  It  has  a  taperino-  form, 
long,  light,  silvery  leaves,  loose  and  pendent  branches, 
and  a  smooth,  whitish  bark.  It  attains  to  a  great 
size  on  the  Himalaya  mountains,  and  promises  to  be 
equally  fine  in  this  country.  In  this  section,  our  lim- 
its will  permit  us  to  mention  further  only  P.  Laricio, 
or  Corsican  Pine,  a  large,  conical  tree,  with  dark  foli- 
age,«and  of  rapid  growth.  Of  its  varieties,  the  black 
Austrian  pine  is  decidedly  the  best;  it  is  a  large, 
hardy  tree,  with  a  broad,  conical  head,  and,  as  it 
grows  quickly,  it  promises  to  supersede  the  Scotch  fir 


144  PARKS   AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

wlieie  early  shelter  is  wanted.     It  is  verv  liable  to  be 
injured  by  hares,  when  young. 

The  Silver  Fir  is  one  of  the  noblest  of  our  hardy 
firs ;  rather  tender  when  young,  but  growing  rapidly 
afterward ;  and  when  old,  it  forms  a  truncated  cone 
of  great  height,  and  is  stately,  massive,  and  ornamen- 
tal, both  on  the  lawn  and  in  the  park.  P.  Douglasii 
is  a  Californian  species  of  great  size.  We  have  known 
it,  in  this  country,  add  ten  feet  to  its  height  in  three 
seasons.  Its  foliage  is  of  a  lighter  hue  than  that  of 
the  preceding,  yielding  therefore  a  less  massive  effect; 
but  it  forms  a  handsome  lawn  tree.  P.  nobilis  is  a 
magnificent  tree  in  its  native  forests,  on  the  Columbia 
river.  It  has  proved  itself  quite  hardy,  in  cold  dis- 
tricts of  this  country,  and  is  a  most  desirable  tree  for 
ornamental  purposes.  The  Hemlock  Swuce  is  a  hand- 
some, low  tree,  approaching  to  the  yew  in  character,  but 
is  of  a  paler  green,  and,  on  account  of  its  dwarfish 
stature,  is  used  principally  in  the  shrubbery. 

The  Conunoji  Spruce  Fir  \i  very  extensively  phuited, 
and  suits  a  great  variety  of  soils,  though  it  prefers  a 
moist,  loamy  one.  Wiiere  it  has  room  and  shelter,  it 
grows  into  a  tall,  stately,  tapering  cone.  When  young 
and  densely  planted,  it  afibrds  a  close  and  effective 
shelter,  and  it  even  forms  a  good  hedge,  in  upland  dis- 
tricts. It  has  a  livelier  efi'ect  in  masses  than  the  Scotch 
fir.  P.  Ifenziesii,  or  Menzies'  Spruce^  is  a  very  hand- 
some pyramidal  tree,  with  a  vivid  light-green  foliage, 
which,  with  the  silvery  lines  on  the  under  side  of  the 
leaves,  imparts  to  it  a  gay  and  graceful  character.  It 
is  well  adapted  for  groups  and  masses  in  woods  and 
pleasure-grounds. 

P.  Morinda,  the  Himalayan  spruce,  is  a  large  treo 


trp:es  of  various   forms.  145 

on  its  native  niountuins,  tand  in  this  country  it  grows 
freely  in  a  shaded  situation  and  a  loamy  soil.  On 
light,  sandy  soils,  and  when  exposed  to  the  sun,  its 
leaves  are  frequently  browned  by  the  spring  frosts.  It 
has  the  general  form  of  the  common  spruce,  but  is 
strongly  distinguished  from  it  by  its  glaucous  foliage, 
longer  and  narrower  leaves,  and  its  more  slender  and 
pensile  branchlets.  It  is  a  graceful  lawn  tree,  and  it  is 
also  well  adapted  to  the  woods  of  the  park.  It  was 
introduced  into  this  country  in  1818,  by  Dr.  Govan, 
of  Cupar,  who  presented  seeds  of  it  to  the  late  Gen- 
eral the  Earl  of  Ilopetoun,  grandfather  of  the  present 
noble  Earl.  One  of  the  original  seedling  plants,  grow- 
ing on  a  lawn  in  the  gardens  at  Ilopetoun  House,  is 
now  thirty-seven  feet  high,  forming  a  fine  tree,  feath- 
ered from  the  ground  upward.  This  spruce,  as  well 
as  many  others  of  the  fir  tribe,  may  be  grafted  with 
success.*  It  is  somewhat  remarkable,  that  the  Him- 
alayan spruce  has  been  found  to  stand  the  smoky  at- 
mosphere of  London,  better  perhaps  than  any  other  fir. 
The  Larch  is  now  a  very  common,  but  also  a  very 
valuable  tree,  for  the  purposes  both  of  utility  and 
ornament.  It  has  the  spiry  pyramidal  form  of  its 
class,  which,  perhaps,  is  too  slight  in  its  proportions, 
when  young ;  but  it  acquires  a  grace  and  dignity  in 
its  broad  and  vigorous  old  age.  Its  main  peculiarity, 
in  relation  to  its  class,  is  that  it  sheds  its  leaves,  and 
its  decorative  properties  reside  less  in  its  form  than  in 
its  beautiful  tints,  which  vary  through  a  wide  range, 
with  the  revolving  seasons. 


•  At  Hopetoun,  in  the  autumn  of  1827,  the  writer  of  this  work  grafted  several  of 
the  Morinda  on  the  common  spruce,  at  about  four  feet  from  the  ground;  they  are 
now  twenty-aix  feet  in  height,  and  apparently  a/?  vigorous  as  if  on  their  own  roots. 

7 


146  PAKKS   AND   PLEASUEE-GKOUNDS. 

(3.)  LTpEiGHT  OK  Oblongated  Tkees. — Of  these  we 
may  enumerate  the  Lombardy  poplar,  the  upright  oak, 
(  Quercus  fastigiata  stricta^)  the  uj)riglit  cypress,  (Cit- 
pressus  sempervirens^)  Irish  yew,  arbor  vitse,  red  cedar, 
and  Swedish  juniper.  The  last  five  are  suitable  only 
for  the  dressed  grounds. 

Trees  or  shrubs  of  this  form  can  not  be  anywhere 
extensively  planted  by  the  improver.  Their  peculiar 
use  is  to  group  and  contrast  with  the  broad,  flowing  out- 
lines of  other  trees,  or  with  the  architectural  objects  in 
their  vicinity.  The  Lomhardy  Pojplar  is  well  suited 
for  park  scenery  and  for  lawns,  and  may  be  put  in 
combination  with  such  trees  as  the  sycamore,  wych  elm, 
and  horse-chestnut,  three  or  four  of  the  former  being 
made  to  group  with  six  or  eight  of  the  latter.  This 
poplar  may  als€t-baJiitroducedwith  good  eflPect  on  the 
edires  of  broacLslades-er-i^Gcesses^or  a  wood.  ^TTshtrmld 


be  placed  so  as  to  appear  to  shoot  up~th rough  the 
branches  of  the  broader  trees,  and  sometimes  to  stand 
between  otliers ;  and  such  ^'•ositions  we  would  generally 
prefer.  A  single  tree,  however,  or  two  or  three  closely 
grouped,  may  occasionally  be  stationed  on  the  edge  of 
a  larger  group.  The  TJjpriglit  Cypress^  where  the  cli- 
mate permits  its  free  growth,  contrasts  well  with  the 
cedar  of  Lebanon.  The  Trisli  Yew^  Swedish  Juniper, 
and  similar  shrubs,  group  well  with  the  large  foliage 
and  broad  forms  of  the  Portugal  and  common  laurel, 
and  as  such  are  valuable  on  tlie  lawns  and  flower-gar- 
dens. The  Irish  yew  may  be  planted  with  good  ef- 
fect on  terraces  with  grass  banks ;  and  in  that  case  it 
should  be  trained  with  one  stem,  to  prevent  its  assum- 
ing that  loose,  broad,  besom-like  head,  which,  if  this 


PENDULOUS   TREES    AND   SHRUBS.  147 

precaution  is  not  taken,  it  generally  acquires,  from  the 
action  of  the  winds  and  the  weight  of  snow. 

(4.)  Pendulous  Trees  and  Shrubs. — Of  these  we 
may  name  the  weeping  birch,  the  weeping  willow,  the 
fine-leaved  weeping  ash,  (Fraxinus  lentiscifoUa  pen- 
dula^)  and  the  new  funereal  Cypress  from  China. 
The  weeping  ash,  elm,  beech,  lime,  and  the  American 
weeping  willow  can  scarcely  be  called  trees,  as  their 
height  depends  on  that  of  the  trees  on  which  they  are 
grafted.  They  are,  consequently,  more  curious  than 
useful  in  the  way  of  ornament. 

Most  of  these  plants,  being  of  no  great  height,  are 
better  suited  for  the  dressed  grounds  than  for  the  woods 
of  the  park ;  their  introduction,  however,  into  both  of 
these  places  is  the  source  of  considerable  interest  and 
variety.  Their  proper  place  is  not  in  the  thicket,  but 
on  the  lawns  and  on  the  outsides  of  the  M^oods.  Their 
graceful  forms  also  render  them  suitable  for  decorating 
the  entrance  to  the  villa  or  cottage  orne. 

Of  this  class,  the  finest  is  the  Weeping  Bircli.  Its 
upright  stem  and  main  boughs,  the  thread-like  dra- 
pery of  its  branches,  and  its  small  foliage,  give  it  a 
peculiarly  graceful  and  airy  appearance.  It  groups 
well  with  both  the  broad  and  the  pyramidal  trees, 
harmonizing  well  with  the  former,  and  contrasting 
finely  with  the  latter. 

It  preserves  its  character  in  woods,  and  is  seen  per- 
haps to  greater  advantage  on  sylvan  banks,  and  on  the 
lower  slopes  of  hills.  The  Weeping  Willow  is,  unfor- 
tunately, too  tender  to  be  of  much  use  in  the  colder 
parts  of  Great  Britain.  In  other  respects,  it  is  admi- 
rably suited  for  giving  effect  to  the  scenery  of  the 
dressed  grounds.     In  warm,  sheltered  places,  and  in 


148  PAKKS    AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

the  genial  climate  of  the  south,  it  attains  to  the  size 
of  a  niediura  tree,  and  combines  singularly  well  with 
laurels,  which,  in  small  groups,  are  very  beautiful 
when  overtopped  by  a  fine  weeping  willow.  Its  most 
effective  position  is  in  connection  with  water,  over- 
hanging, like  a  green  vail,  a  stream  or  lake.  The 
Fine-leaved  AsTi  is  an  elegant  tree,  of  a  broad  shape, 
with  small  foliage  and  pendulous  branches.  The 
Common  Weejnng  Ash  is  fit  only  for  forming  an  ar- 
bor ;  as  a  tree,  it  is  devoid  of  all  grace.  There  is  a 
variety  in  Wellhall,  in  Lanarkshire,  which  is  much 
finer,  being  intermediate  between  the  weeping  and 
the  common  ash. 

The  Chinese  Weejnng  Cypress  is  an  evergreen  weep- 
ing tree,  one  of  the  recent  importations  from  China, 
and  if  we  may  judge  from  the  description  given  by 
Mr,  Fortune,  who  introduced  it — for  we  have  seen  it 
only  in  a  young  state  —  it  is  one  of  the  finest  of  its 
class.  In  his  interesting  work  on  "  The  Tea  Districts 
of  India  and  China,"  he  says,  "  It  is  a  noble,  fir-like 
tree,  about  sixty  feet  in  height,  having  a  stem  straight 
as  a  Norfolk  Island  pine,  (Araucaria  excelsa,)  and 
pendulous  branches  like  the  weeping  willow.  The 
branches  grow  at  first  horizontally  with  the  main  stem, 
then  describe  a  graceful  curve  upward,  and  drooping 
again  at  the  points.  From  these  main  branches, 
others,  long  and  slender,  hang  down  toward  the 
ground,  and  give  the  whole  tree  a  weeping  and  grace- 
ful form."  This  tree  appears  to  be  hardy,  and  if  it 
maintains  that  character,  it  will  be  an  interesting 
addition  to  the  scenery  of  the  park  and  pleasure- 
ground,  and  should  be  planted  wherever  its  form  is 
admissible.     Avenues  composed  of  it  would  have  a 


PENDULOUS  TREES    AND   SHEUBS.  149 

cliarming  effect ;  and  these  avenues,  as  the  tree  is  only 
of  medium  size,  would  not  require  to  be  of  such  di- 
mensions as  those  planted  with  English  elm,  or  lime, 
or  deodar. 

It  remains  to  be  noted,  that  the  forms  of  trees  vary 
in  some  measure  with  the  season.  Their  internal  con- 
figuration is  most  conspicuous  in  winter,  when  the 
leafless  branches  disclose  the  inner  carpentry  of  boughs, 
and  too  often,  indeed,  reveal  deformities.  Summer, 
with  its  vail  of  foliage,  shcdes  much  of  the  peculiar 
structure  of  trees.  ToM-ard  the  end  of  June,  luxuriant 
sycamores  sometimes  suggest  the  idea  of  masses  of 
green  vapor  reposing  in  the  atmosphere ;  an  appear- 
ance very  different,  certainly,  from  the  numerous 
crossing  limbs,  and  forked  branches,  and  brush-like 
twigs  ]3resented  by  the  winter  habit  of  the  tree.  This 
contrast  is  one  of  the  sources  of  the  successional  beau- 
ties of  the  seasons. 

Note. — In  comparing  the  foregoing  catalogue  of 
trees,  given  by  our  author,  the  American  will  be  struck 
with  the  meager  variety  which  Great  Britain  affords 
for  ornamental  purposes,  in  comparison  with  the  num- 
bers of  surpassingly  noble  and  beautiful  specimens 
which  flourish  in  almost  every  different  locality  of  our 
own  country.  It  is  unnecessary  to  enlarge  on  a  sub- 
ject so  well  treated,  in  general,  by  our  author,  further 
than  to  remark  that,  in  tree-planting,  such  varieties  as, 
on  examination,  are  found  most  congenial  to  the  soil 
which  is  to  receive  them,  should  be  selected ;  and 
where  exotic  trees  and  shrubs  are  introduced,  they 
should  be  of  hardy  kinds,  graceful  shape,  and  easy 
growth.  It  is  difficult  to  find  specimens,  in  any  part 
of  the  world,  flourishing  in  like  climates,  which  excel 


150  TAKKS    AND   PLEASTJRE-GKOUNDS. 

our  own  native  trees  in  grandeur,  grace,  and  beauty. 
Our  oaks,  elms,  maples,  hickorys,  all  of  many  varie- 
ties ;  the  black-walnut,  butternut,  chestnut,  white- 
wood  or  tulip ;  the  poplars,  birches,  beeches,  ashs, 
larch,  and  several  other  deciduous  trees,  of  the  North- 
ern and  Middle  states ;  together  with  their  evergreen 
pines,  hemlocks,  spruces,  and  firs  —  all  trees  of  the 
first  rank  in  size,  and  some  of  them  of  great  height  — 
will  compare  advantageously  with  the  best  trees  of 
Europe,  and  far  excel  the  most  remarkable  British 
specimens  of  native  production ;  and  where  we  pos- 
sess within  our  own  forests  such  a  wealth  of  trees,  in 
all  that  constitutes  true  ornament,  as  well  as  utility, 
it  is  scarcely  worth  while  to  rack  our  brains,  or  exhaust 
our  purses,  to  go  abroad  for  others.  Our  Southern 
states  produce  many  of  the  trees  we  have  named ;  to 
which  may  be  added,  the  live-oak,  cypress,  magnolia, 
and  others  —  all  appropriate  for  park-planting,  in  their 
own  favorite  regions. 

Of  shrub  trees,  large  and  small,  almost  any  desired 
number  may  be  found  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
any  park-ground  in  the  country.  Many  of  them  are 
of  exceeding  beauty,  and  of  all  required  character 
and  variety.  It  is  unnecessary  that  they  be  here  enu- 
merated. The  ready  observation  of  the  inquirer  will 
at  once  supply  his  demands ;  or,  that  being  at  fault, 
the  volumes  of  Michaux,  and  of  Nuttal,  will  suggest 
more  than  his  most  liberal  wants  can  require. 

One  indispensable  element  of  success,  in  the  culti- 
vation of  both  tree  and  shrub,  must  be  observed  by 
all  planters ;  and  that  is,  a  congeniality  of  soil  and 
climate  to  the  tree  or  shrub  in  question.  Many  trees 
and  shrubs  will  fiourish  alike  in  difterent  soils  —  the 


i 


COLOKS    OF    TREES.  J  51 

stiffest  clay,  or  tlio  most  friable  loam ;  others  perti- 
naciously cling  to  a  particular  soil,  and  refuse  to  flour- 
ish in  any  other.  Some  refuse  to  grow'in  any  but 
grounds  light,  dry,  and  open  in  texture ;  others  love 
the  heav}",  moist,  and  clammy  earths  contiguous  to 
water.  All  these  qualifications  must  be  regarded,  to 
insure  success  in  diversified  plantations. 

In  "  pleasure-grounds,"  exotic  trees,  of  character 
congenial  with  the  soil  and  climate,  may  be  sparingly 
introduced ;  as,  the  horse-chestnut,  the  weeping  wil- 
low, and  a  few  others,  as  indicating  choicer  cultivation 
than  what  is  given  to  the  "  park.'-  In  the  latter  may 
be  occasionally  thrown  the  Lombardy-poplar — a  tree 
often  treated  with  idle  abuse  because  it  has  some 
faults ;  but  no  one  can  say,  and  say  it  trutlifully,  that- 
the  spire-like  top  of  a  Lombardy-poplar,  peering  up 
through  the  formal  outline  of  a  group  of  round-headed 
trees,  does  not  give  both  a  graceful  and  picturesque 
expression  to  the  landscape,  which  would  be  wanting 
without  it,  Tlie  larch  may  partially  supply  its  pres- 
ence, but  not  with  entire  efitect.  Excessive  use  of  the 
poplar,  in  some  instances,  has  brought  it  into,  per- 
haps, in  that  feature  of  it,  v,-ell-deserved  condemnation ; 
but  sparingly  and  considerately  apj^lied,  it  may  be- 
come one  of  the  most  effective  features  in  park-expres- 
sion.— Ed. 


Sect.  II. —  The  Colors  of  Trees. 

The  tints  of  color  exhibited  in  trees  are,  perhaps,  as 
numerous  as  their  forms.  To  advert,  at  present,  only 
to  the  foliage, —  the  normal  color  of  the  leaves  is  green, 


152  PARKS    AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

but  how  diversified  are  its  shades !  In  the  deciduous 
class  of  trees,  these  shades  range  from  the  silvery  gray 
of  the  Huntingdon  willow  and  white  poplar  through 
the  light-green  of  the  larch  and  lime,  the  full  green  of 
the  sycamore  and  oak,  to  the  dull,  dilute  green  of  the 
alder.  And  in  the  evergreen  sj^ecies,  the  shades  pass 
i'rom  the  silvery  or  glaucous  tints  of  the  Atlas  and 
Himalayan  cedars  to  the  darlc-green  of  the  holly  and 
yew,  and  the  almost  black-green  of  the  aged  Scotch 
fir.  Here,  then,  are  abundance  of  colors  for  the  land- 
scape-artist—  colors  requiring  from  him  most  attentive 
consideration,  and  on  the  skillful  and  harmonious  em- 
ployment of  which  the  success  of  his  work  will,  in  a 
measure,  depend.  "We  have  selected  the  names  of  a 
number  of  trees  and  shrubs  usually  employed  for  dec- 
orative purposes,  and  arranged  them  under  the  differ- 
ent shades  of  green  respectively  exhibited  by  them. 
Our  readers  will  understand  that  we  have  designedly 
omitted  the  abnormal  tints,  such  as  occur  in  the  pur- 
ple beech  and  in  the  variegated  hollies  and  sycamores  ; 
and  that,  in  some  of  those  given,  the  shades  named 
are  only  approximations.  On  some  poor,  clayey  and 
wet  soils,  common  and  Portugal  laurels  have  a  light- 
yellowish  tint.  In  the  shade,  the  hemlock  spruce  and 
common  yew  preserve  a  dark-green ;  in  exposed  situ- 
ations, they  are  sometimes  of  a  brownish  green. 


COLORS   OF    TKEES. 


153 


TABLE  OF  COLORS  IN  THE  FOLIAGE  OF  TREES. 


Portugal  Laurel. 

Yew,  corumou  nud  Irish. 

HoUy. 

Sweet  Bay, 

Pliillyrea. 

Luccoiube  Oak. 

Alder. 

Upright  Cypress. 


DAEK    GREEN". 

Araucaria  iinbricatu. 
Araucaria  excelsa. 
Cedar  of  Lebanon. 
Taxodium  sempcrvirens. 
Scotch  Fir,  and  most  Pinea 
Silver  Firs. 
Spruce  Firs. 


Oak,  common. 
Oak,  scarlet. 
Spanish  Chestnut. 
Horse  Chestnut 
Hornbeam. 


Sycamore. 
Norway  Maple. 
Beech. 

Hemlock  Spruce. 
Laurusliuus. 


Arbutus. 

Deciduous  Cypress. 
Alatemus. 


LIVELY    GREEK. 

Abies  Menziesii. 
Lambert's  Cypress. 
Common  Laurel. 


Lime. 

Elm. 

Ash. 

Oriental  Plane. 

Occidental  Plane. 

Birch. 

Hawthorn. 

Rhododendron,  sorts. 


LIGHT    GREEM. 

Gean. 

Bird-cherry. 

Laburnum. 

Tulip-tree. 

Black  Italian  Poplar. 

Lombardy  Poplar. 

Balsam  and  Ontario  Poplars. 

Walnut 


Red  Cedar. 
Arbor  vitffi. 
Evergreen  Oak. 


BHOWXISH    GEEEN. 

Hemlock  Spruce. 
Box. 


154  PARKS    AND    PLEASUKE-GKOUNDS. 

SILVERY    GREEN. 

White  and  Grey  Poplars.  Cedar  of  Mount  Atlas. 

Willows,  several.  Deodar. 

Turkey  Oak.  Pinus  excelsa. 

Buckthorn.  Pinus  Webbiana. 

Toward  the  end  of  spring,  and  in  the  beginning  of 
summer,  all  the  greens  are  extremely  vivid ;  but  even 
then  some  of  the  species,  such  as  the  larch  and  balsam 
poplar,  are  peculiarly  light.  In  June,  the  young 
shoots  and  leaves  display  little  variety.  In  July  and 
August,  each  tree  and  shrub  shades  off  into  its  own 
particular  green.  Later  in  autumn,  the  evergreens 
acquire  their  winter  tints.  In  October,  or  earlier,  pre- 
vious to  the  fall  of  the  leaf,  the  ordinary  hues  of  the 
deciduous  tribes  give  place  to  an  extraordinary  diver- 
sity of  colors.  For  example,  the  larch,  oak,  and  elm 
take  various  shades  of  yellow,  or  yellowish-brown. 
The  scarlet  oak,  beech,  and  wild  cherry  grow  red. 
The  ash  and  sycamore  sadden  into  a  grayish  tea- 
green.  If,  in  planting  the  park  and  pleasure-grounds, 
all  varieties  of  color  are  to  be  taken  into  account,  the 
tints  of  the  ripening  leaf  ought  not  to  be  forgotten,  as 
we  fear  they  too  often  are.  It  should  be  remembered, 
that  the  ripening  and  fall  of  the  leaf  sometimes  oc- 
cupy live  or  six  weeks  of  a  season,  which,  if  chastened 
with  sadness,  is  to  some  minds  a  period  of  intense 
enjoyment.  We  may  add,  that  oaks,  particularly  in 
copse-woods,  and  in  the  early  stages  of  growth  else- 
where, often  retain  their  leaves  during  most  of  the 
winter.  These  supplementary  tints  of  the  departing 
year  afford  means  of  ornament  not  altogether  unworthy 
of  attention. 

The   flowers   of  certain   trees  also  yield  effective. 


COLORS    OF   TREES.  155 

tliough  transient,  elements  of  color.  Some  of  our 
readers  may  have  come  unexpectedly  on  a  fine  labur- 
num or  thorn,  in  blossom,  partially  concealed  in  a 
secluded  wood,  or  overhanging  the  bend  of  a  remote 
stream,  and  may  have  received  from  it  an  impression 
which  has  not  yet  passed  away.  "\Ve  need  scarcely 
point  out  the  rich  effects  produced,  at  times,  by  tlie 
snowy  flowers  of  the  wild  cherry  and  sloe,  by  the 
creamy  bloom  of  the  hawthorn  and  bird-cherry,  and 
the  more  varj'ing  pink  and  white  of  the  wild-apple 
and  the  horse-chestnut.  Then,  there  is  the  delicate 
pale-yellow  of  the  flowers  of  the  lime  and  Spanish- 
chestnut,  later  in  the  season.  Among  the  underwoods, 
we  have  the  brilliant  yellow  of  the  elegant  mahonias, 
in  spring ;  and  in  June,  the  lavish  purple  of  the  Pon- 
tic rhododendron,  one  of  the  hardiest  and  best  of  all 
shrubs  for  making  close  and  tangled  thickets  in  woods. 
We  do  not  mean  that  the  chromatic  efl'ects  of  a  flower- 
garden  should  be,  by  artificial  means,  elaborated  in  a 
park  or  forest ;  but  there  is  no  want  of  brilliant  tints, 
even  in  the  wildness  of  nature,  as  the  common  furze 
and  broom  amply  testifs^ ;  and  the  moderate  and  un- 
obtrusive employment  of  the  brighter  hues  of  blossom, 
in  the  external  grounds,  is  sure  to  please. 

Even  the  leafless  branches  of  shrubs  and  trees  af- 
ford an  available  element  of  color.  We  might  point 
out  the  dog-wood,  with  its  crimson  twigs,  and  the 
azerole  thorn,  with  its  silvery  branches  ;  these,  indeed, 
belong  chiefly  to  shrubbery  or  pleasure-ground.  But 
the  larch,  with  its  light-brown  sj^ray ;  the  birch,  with 
its  dark  twigs  and  snowy  stems ;  and  the  oak  itself, 
with  its  varieties  of  russet,  green,  gray,  and  brown, 
are  examples  of  daily  occurrence  in  the  woods.     We 


15G  PARKS    AND    PLEASDKE-GKOUNDS. 

believe  that  tliese  hues  in  deciduous  trees,  both  in- 
trinsically and  as  contrasted'  with  the  brighter  ever- 
greens, are  a  great,  though  often  unnoticed,  source  of 
pleasure  in  the  woodlands  of  winter.  They  help  to 
make  up  that  full  harmony  which  the  great  instrumen- 
talist, Light,  calls  forth  from  the  living  organs  on 
which  it  plays. 

The  use  of  the  colors  of  trees  and  shrubs,  to  the  im- 
prover, is  very  great ;  but  his  application  of  them 
must  depend  very  much  on  his  own  skill  in  adapting 
his  materials  to  the  character  of  the  place  and  the 
nature  of  the  ground  with  which  he  is  dealing.  We 
may  remark,  however,  that  the  depth  of  a  recess  or 
glade,  in  the  woods  or  dressed  grounds,  formed  for  the 
purpose  of  creating  a  shadowy  effect,  is  much  increased 
by  planting  trees  and  shrubs  of  a  full  green  or  dark- 
green  color,  at  the  point  where  the  effect  is  desired. 
The  somber  color  of  the  trees  themselves,  and  the  den- 
sity of  the  foliage,  contribute  to  render  the  shadow 
more  intense,  while  an  oj^posite  result  would  be  educed 
by  a  lighter  color  of  foliage.  Some  prominent  j)oints 
may  be  brought  out  by  a  dark,  others  by  a  light  or 
silvery-green.  The  effect  of  distance,  too,  may  be  pro- 
duced or  increased  by  employing  dark-greens  in  the 
foreground,  and  shading  oft'  with  lighter  colors  in  the 
more  remote  objects.  It  is  hardly  needful  to  add,  that 
good  taste  enjoins  a  sparing  use  of  strongly-marked 
or  glaring  colors.  White  poplars  and  pnrple  beeches, 
for  example,  are  admirably  adapted  for  occasional 
breaks,  in  the  way  of  contrast,  or  for  completing  a 
gradation  of  shades;  but  in  certain  situations,  they 
would  be  intolerable  as  clumps  or  masses. 


KOUND-HEADED    TKEES.  157 


Sect.  III. — ^The    Ornamental  Chakactee  of  Trees 
IN  Combination. 

The  massing  of  plantations  obscures  to  the  eye  the 
peculiar  forms  of  the  trees  which  compose  them,  and 
indeed,  modifies  the  actual  forms  to  a  great  extent.  It 
is  only  when  standing  detached,  or  in  thin  groups,  or 
at  most  on  the  margins  of  plantations,  that  trees  fully 
develop  their  natural  characters.  In  the  depth  of  a 
forest  or  thick  wood,  they  are  usually  so  crowded  to- 
gether, and  so  drawn  up  toward  the  light,  that  their 
forms  have  little  resemblance  to  the  figures  produced 
by  their  free  and  unimpeded  growth.  Still,  there  is  a 
distinct  character  in  each ;  for  a  mass  of  oaks  has  not, 
in  any  circumstances,  tlie  same  aspect  as  one  of 
beeches  or  elms  ;  neither  does  a  dense,  dark  plantation 
of  Scotch  firs  present  the  spiry  and  serrated  outlines 
of  a  wood  of  larch  and  spruce.  There  is,  therefore, 
still  abundant  character  remaining,  even  in  combined 
and  crowded  trees,  to  allow  scope  for  design,  and  to 
afford  materials  for  scenic  beauty,  to  one  who  has  suf- 
ficient skill  to  seize  and  employ  it.  In  this  part  of  our 
subject,  we  shall  content  ourselves  with  adverting  to 
what  we  have  called  the  round-headed  and  the  pyra- 
midal trees;  the  other  two  classes  are  so  sparingly 
used,  and  planted  so  much  fur  the  production  of  those 
particular  effects  which  we  have  already  noticed,  that 
we  need  not  recur  to  them. 

Round-headed  Tkkes. — Of  these  we  may  remark, 
generally,  that  they  are  to  be  employed  when  conti- 
nuity of  outline,  in  tlie  clump  and  plantation,  is  the 


158  PARKS   AND   PLEASURE-GKOUNDS. 

object  aimed  at.  They  mass  more  densely  together 
than  any  other  trees,  except,  perhaps,  the  Scotch  fir ; 
which,  however,  in  combination,  partakes  very  much 
of  their  character.  In  parks  with  flat  or  midnlating 
sm-faces,  the  trees  planted  in  forming  the  woods  should 
be  principally  of  this  class.  Their  broad  outlines  and 
massive  proportions  are  more  in  harmony  with  the 
natural  contour  of  the  ground  than  those  of  a  pyra- 
midal shape.  Seen  from  without,  they  have  often, 
at  certain  seasons,  a  peculiarly  silky  and  slightly  tufted 
expression,  which  is  extremely  beautiful.  Their  inter- 
nal appearance,  too,  (that  is,  their  character  as  groves,) 
when  they  have  been  sufficiently  cleared  out  to  afford 
large,  roomy  arcades  of  shade,  is  finer  on  such  ground 
than  that  of  the  more  upright  trees.  Of  course,  when 
we  thus  recommend  the  broad  round-headed  trees  for 
such  situations,  we  do  not  mean  that  they  are  to  be 
planted  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others ;  a  sprinkling  of 
the  other  kinds  will  have  a  beneficial  efiect,  in  the 
way  of  contrasting  with  the  predominating  forms,  and 
of  adding  variety  to  the  scenery. 

Conical  or  Pyramidal  Trees. — With  the  exception 
of  the  larch  and  the  deciduous  cypress,  these  are  nearly 
all  evergreen  trees.  This,  in  one  respect,  is  an  advan- 
tage ;  it  enables  them  to  give  a  permanently  clothed 
and  verdant  aspect  to  scenery.  On  the  other  hand, 
when  planted  in  large  masses,  on  flat  surfaces,  and 
especially  when  they  have  been  ill-thinned-out,  they 
have  a  very  somber  and  monotonous  effect,  exhibiting 
a  large  array  of  bare  trunks  below  ;  and  above,  a  dark, 
gloomy  canopy  of  boughs  and  branches,  excluding, 
perhaps,  every  ray  of  sunshine.  The  small,  wiry 
forms,  and  almost  universal  rigidity  of  their  foliage, 


CONICAL   OR   TYKAMIDAL    TREKS.  169 

Lave  also  a  saddening  influence,  as  they  seldom  wave 
except  when  agitated  by  a  gale,  and  there  is  a  tutal 
absence  of  tliat  agreeable  movement  produced  by  a 
light  wind  playing  airily  among  the  larger  leaves  of 
the  deciduous  species.  Besides,  the  pyramidal  trees 
unite  at  what  may  be  called  the  shoulders  of  the  tree ; 
and  so,  above  that  lin.e,  which  is  often  pretty  Avell 
defined,  they  leave  a  multitude  of  little  cones  or  i^yra- 
mids,  which,  wlien  seen  in  proiile,  have  a  serrated 
outline,  and  exert  a  monotonous  and,  at  the  same  time, 
irritating  influence  on  the  eye.  For  our  part,  we  know 
nothing  more  wearisome  than  those  long,  dark,  stunted, 
middle-aged  plantations  of  Scotch  fir,  or  of  mingled 
larch  and  spruce,  which  are  sometimes  to  be  met  in 
flat,  clayey,  agricultural  districts.  Such  masses  of 
wood,  in  ornamental  grounds,  would  be  hideous. 

The  native  homes  of  the  fir  tribe  are  chiefly  among 
the  hills.  There  they  not  only  grow  more  luxuriantly, 
but  their  forms  adapt  themselves  better  to  the  natural 
lines  of  the  ground.  On  the  slopes  of  a  hilly  and  moun- 
tainous country,  fir- woods  have  a  more  varied  and  cheer- 
ful appearance,  and  they  are  seen  less  in  profile;  or, 
if  they  are  so  seen,  it  is  against  the  higher  grounds, 
while  the  more  elevated  ridges  form  the  sky-line  of  the 
landscape.  In  such  cases  the  serrated  outlines  are  not 
so  harsh  as  they  are  on  level  grounds.  When  planted 
in  passes,  or  on  other  steep  surfaces,  the  trees  are  seen 
to  great  advantage,  towering  up  one  above  another, 
and  exhibiting  a  greater  variety  of  lights  and  shades 
than  on  more  level  ground,  particularly  when  pervaded 
by  the  rays  of  the  winter  or  vernal  sun.  Even  in  the 
loM'cr  country  the  fir  tribe  succeed  well  in  ravines  and 
on  shelving  banks,  where  the  soil  is   light   and   the 


ICO  PAKKS   AKD   PLEASUKE-GROUNDS. 

natural  drainage  effective.  Occasionally,  beautiful 
Scotch  firs,  spruces  and  larches  may  be  seen  in  favor- 
able situations  a  little  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

Many  species  of  firs  require  to  be  planted  thickly  at 
first,  in  order  to  prevent  them  from  forming  bushy 
trees  when  young,  and  for  the  purpose  of  throwing 
the  main  growth  of  the  tree  into  the  leading  stem; 
but  in  ornamental  plantations  they  should  be  thinned 
out  at  an  earlier  period,  and  afterward  to  a  greater  ex- 
tent, than  is  necessary  in  woods  grown  simply  for  the 
sake  of  timber.  They  will  thus  have  room  to  develop 
themselves  into  their  natural  forms,  instead  of  being 
drawn  up  int«  bare  poles  with  small  tufted  heads.  On 
level  or  slightly-inclined  surfaces,  frequent  openings  or 
glades  should  be  formed  through  them,  in  order  to  re- 
lieve the  heavy  eifect  which  they  would  otherwise  have. 

Intermingling  of  the  Different  Forms  and  Col- 
ors.— In  the  actual  practice  of  planting,  the  various 
kinds  of  trees  are  generally  mingled  together;  and 
though  this  is  often  done  with  little  taste,  and  on  no 
fixed  principles,  it  shows  that  in  the  common  appre- 
hensions of  men,  the  beauty  of  woodland  scenery  con- 
sists very  much  in  the  contrast  and  combination  of  its 
diversified  materials.  It  will  readily  be  perceived  that 
no  precise  general  rules  can  be  laid  down  on  this  sub- 
ject. Much  must  be  left  to  the  taste  of  the  proprietor 
and  designer.  Some  particular  effects,  however,  may 
be  mentioned  as  attainable  by  the  use  of  certain  trees. 
For  example,  a  mass  of  laurels  and  hollies  in  the  plea- 
sure-ground may  be  improved  both  in  dignity  and  ex- 
pression by  having  a  few  of  the  finer  species  of  firs 
introduced  into  its  center.  And  in  the  j^ark,  a  plant- 
ation of  deciduous  trees  may  have  its  sky-line  elevated 


INTERMINGLING   OF    FORMS   AND   COLORS.  I'U 

at  certain  points  by  groups  of  black  Italian  poplar,  a 
tree  which,  in  ordinary  ground,  speedily  take^  the  lead 
of  all  others,  and  keeps  it  for  many  years. 

Ought  masses  of  trees  to  be  planted  wholly  of  one 
species,  or  with  an  admixture  of  many?  The  question 
has  been  answered  differently,  both  in  theory  and  in 
practice.  '•  A  forest  of  all  manner  of  trees,"  says  Mr. 
liuskin,  "is  poor,  if  not  disagreeable  in  effect;  a  mass 
of  one  species  of  tree  is  sublime."-"  We  are  not  sure 
that  this  aphorism  is  not  put  too  unconditionally, 
even  in  regard  to  a  forest;  certainly  we  should  be 
inclined  to  dispute  its  validity  as  applied  to  plea- 
sure-grounds and  parks.  Let  the  reader  imagine  a 
pleasure-ground  exclusively  filled  with  hollies,  or  a 
park  adorned  with  Scotch  firs  alone.  We  are  assured 
that  the  first  feeling  of  the  spectator  would  as  likely 
be  that  of  wonder  as  of  sublimity,  that  the  second 
would  be  one  of  oppressive  monotony,  and  the  third 
of  absolute  weariness.  Of  course  this  remark  does 
not  apply  to  clumps  and  subordinate  masses,  which 
may  occasionally  be  planted  of  one  species  of  tree. 
We  make  this  admission,  however,  with  some  reserve; 
for,  while  in  the  park  and  pleasure-ground  our  aim 
should  be  that  unity  which  consists  in  a  harmony  of 
diversities,  we  must  guard  against  that  bald  and  un- 
suggestive  unity  whic'h  degenerates  into  uniformity. 
Homogeneous  masses  of  trees,  it  must  be  remembered, 
are  destitute  of  that  pleasing  variety  of  color  of  which 
there  are  traces  even  in  spring  and  summer,  and  which, 
as  we  have  seen,  comes  out  with  such  manifold  beauty 


•We  have  not  the  slightest  respect  for  Jfr.  Ruskiu's  authority  on  this  question. 
We  better  coincide  with  his  architectural  taste  than  his  arboricultui-al  accomplish- 
jnents. — Ed, 


162  PARKS   AND    PLEASURE-GEOUISrDS. 

in  the  autumnal  tints.  We  hold  that  evergreens,  even 
in  winter,  are  lightened  and  set  off  by  the  contrast  of 
the  deciduous  trees  with  which  they  are  intermingled, 
and  in  summer  the  harmonizing  effects  of  the  mixture 
are  even  more  striking.  "We  are  disposed  to  think 
that  in  the  park  and  pleasure-ground  the  fir  tribe 
should  never  be  planted  alone  and  in  separate  clumps. 
We  would  hardly  allow  them  to  amount  to  more  than 
a  third  of  the  whole  trees,  in  the  plantation,  thicken- 
ing them  in  some  places,  and  blending  and  shading 
them  off  with  the  deciduous  species  in  others.  This 
is  also  a  good  method  of  planting  firs  when  the  sur- 
faces of  large  masses  of  wood  are  to  be  seen  at  a  dis- 
tance.  We  beg  the  reader,  however,  to  remark  that 
we  have  been  speaking  of  the  ornamental  grounds,  not 
of  the  outfield  woods  or  mountain  forests. 

In  regard  to  the  question.  Ought  masses  of  trees  to 
be  planted  with  one  species  only,  or  with  an  admix- 
ture of  many?  it  is  important  to  determine  whether 
the  masses  in  question  are  to  be  considered  as  vieAved 
from  M'ithout  or  from  within.  If  they  are  to  be  con- 
templated from  without,  we  hold  that  there  should  bo 
always  some  admixture  of  kinds,  to  obviate  that  dull 
uniformity  to  which  we  have  above  alluded.  If  they 
are  to  be  viewed  from  within,  it  cannot  be  doubted 
that  a  grove  of  un mingled  oalA  and  beeches,  or  elms, 
especially  if  the  trees  have  attained  the  dignity  of  age, 
has  a  much  finer  and  more  imposing  effect  than  a  pro- 
miscuoiTS  o-atherino;  of  all  manner  of  trees.  Even  the 
surface  of  the  ground  and  its  smoother  sward  acquire, 
in  such  circumstances,  a  more  attractive,  because  a 
more  harmonizing  aspect.  Planters  are  too  apt  to 
confine  their  regards  to  the  external  appearance  of 


INTERMINGLING   OF   FORMS   AND   COLORS.  163 

their  work ;  they  ought  to  remember  that  the  planta- 
tions tliey  arc  forming  will,  in  the  conrse  of  years, 
become  tall  woods,  and  perhaps  groves,  resorted  to  for 
seclusion  and  shade.  This  should  be  especially  kept 
in  mind  toward  the  central  points  of  their  masses; 
and  with  this  view  they  may  surround  these  central 
points  chiefly  with  one  kind  of  tree.  In  extensive 
grounds,  a  dozen  or  more  of  these  central  groves  might 
be  formed  prospective!}^,  embracing  all  the  principal 
deciduous,  and  some  of  the  finer  evergreen  trees; 
while  the  outer  margins  of  the  masses  and  clumps, 
and  all  the  parts  rendered  by  their  position  conspicu- 
ous to  the  eye,  might  be  dressed  out  in  that  gay  variety 
which  is  essential  to  the  beauty  of  a  country  residence 
as  a  whole.  Thus  the  predominance  of  one  tree  will 
give  a  decided  character  to  a  mass,  and  the  intermin- 
gled subordinates  which  may  be  gradually  reduced  in 
number,  if  desired,  will  relieve  it  of  monotony  and 
insipidity. 

In  relation  to  the  subject  of  this  chapter  generally, 
we  have  in  conclusion  to  remark,  that  no  part  of  land- 
scape-gardening is  more  neglected  and  misunderstood 
than  the  skillful  management  of  trees,  in  the  way  of 
bringing  out  their  ornamental  value  in  respect  to  form 
and  color.  Some  artists  of  great  name  have  declined 
this  afi'air  altogether,  and,  with  necessarih'  ver}^  gen- 
eral directions,  or  even  without  any  instructions  at  all, 
have  delegated  the  work  of  distributing  the  trees  to 
the  forester  or  day-laborer.  And  proprietors  are  too 
ready  to  ask  the  designer  to  stake  out  the  groups  and 
clumps,  and  then  to  leave  the  planting  to  persons  who 
l^robably  have  not  the  slightest  conception  of  the  effect 
desired  to  be  produced.     After  a  few  years,  jjerhaps, 


164  PARKS   AND   PLEASDKE-GROUNDS. 

the  artist  goes  back  to  survey  his  work,  and  finds  that 
his  ground  outlines  have  been  carefully  preserved,  but 
probably  discovers  also  that  the  gray  poplar,  with  its 
nirv  form  and  silvery  foliage,  has  been  substituted  for 
the  robust  and  grave-tinted  oak;  or  that  the  spiry, 
lio'ht-irreen,  deciduous  larch  has  taken  the  place  in- 
tended  for  the  rounded  cone  and  dark-green  color  of 
the  Scotch  fir.  And  yet  his  art,  or  his  skill  in  the  ex- 
ercise of  it,  has  to  bear  the  blame  of  these  errors !  It 
would  be  almost  as  reasonable  to  expect  a  fine  land- 
scape-painting, were  we  to  commission  an  artist  to 
trace  the  outlines  of  the  picture,  and  then  to  leave  the 
coloring,  the  management  of  the  lights  and  shades, 
and  the  filling-up  generally,  to  a  house-painter,  who 
undoubtedly  can  handle  a  brush  as  well  as  a  forester 
or  a  day-laborer  can  waeld  a  spade. 

Note. — Our  author  talks  well,  and  refinedly,  like  all 
writers  and  planters  who  write  and  plant  in  a  country 
where  nature  has  not  bountifully  supplied  it  with  nat- 
ural subjects  of  cultivation.  But  it  is  not  so  in 
America.  The  ingenuity  of  man  can  conceive  of 
nothing  half  so  grand,  so  varied,  and  so  beautiful,  as 
a  diversified  American  forest  during  the  summer  and 
autumn.  Take,  for  instance,  the  breast  of  one  of  our 
fine  hill  or  mountain  ranges  of  forest,  where  the  ever- 
green and  deciduous  trees,  of  great  variety  and  luxu- 
riant growth,  commingle  in  one  broad,  continued  bank 
of  parti-colored  verdure,  at  the  first  bursting  of  their 
new  leaves  in  the  spring,  and  in  their  successive 
growth  through  the  summer.  What  delicate  tints 
wave  and  lift  their  perpetual  changes,  from  the  deep 
blue-green  of  the  hemlock  to  the  poplars  and  beech, 
contrasting  with  the  silvery  tints  of  the  white  maple, 


INTEKMINGLING    OF    FORMS   AND   COLORS.  165 

the  fixed,  imcbaugeablo  green  of  the  oak  and  the  pine, 
those  models  of  strength  and  endurance!  And  after 
the  frosts  of  autumn  have  touched  them,  what  woods 
on  earth  can  compare  with  the  gorgeous  tints  and  colors 
of  the  deciduous  leaves,  relieved  and  supported  by  the 
unchanging  hue  of  the  evergreens?  From  the  airy, 
lemon  tints  of  the  poplar  and  sugar  maple,  running 
down  into  the  deep  orange  of  the  hickory ;  from  the 
liveliest  scarlet  of  the  soft  maples,  to  the  mellow  rus- 
set of  the  oaks  and  the  ashs,  in  all  their  variety ;  each 
and  every  one  soft  and  beautiful  for  many  da^'s,  some- 
times for  weeks,  our  forests  present  a  brilliancy  and  a 
grandeur  unsurpassable  in  their  kind. 

It  is  not  at  all  necessary  for  the  American  to  go  into 
the  refinement  and  the  particularity  of  the  English 
planter  to  effect  his  object.  Our  mixed,  natural  forests 
supply  the  best  expression  possible  to  park  and  forest 
scenery,  in  tree  and  shrub.  All  we  have  to  do,  where 
not  furnished  by  the  undisturbed  hand  of  nature  her- 
self, is,  to  imitate  her  in  the  blandest  and  most  agree- 
able forms  within  our  power ;  and  in  whatever  we  add, 
by  way  of  exotic,  let  us  be  sure  that  no  exaggerated 
contrast  is  presented  to  the  harmony  of  our  own  luxu- 
riant productions. — Ed. 


166  PARKS   AND   PLEASUKE-GROUNDS. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

PLANTING. 

Preparation  of  the  Ground  —  Trenching  —  Draining  —  Roads  through 
Plantations  —  Planting  of  Forest  Trees  —  Pitting  —  Pruning  —  Tliin- 
niug  —  Transplanting  Forest  Trees  —  Planting  and  Transplanting  of 
Evergreens. 

"We  have  already  adverted  to  the  importance  of 
planting  in  the  formation  and  improvement  of  parks 
and  pleasure-grounds.  In  these  interesting  appen- 
dages of  a  country  residence,  the  woods  present  a 
main  element  of  beauty;  and  the  degree  of  that 
beauty  is  mainly  dependent  on  the  healthy  and  luxu- 
riant growth  of  the  trees.  "With  these  facts  in  view, 
we  shall  offer  some  brief  remarks  on  the  j)lanting, 
fencing,  and  after-management  of  plantations,  confin- 
ing ourselves,  at  the  same  time,  to  those  subjects 
which  have  a  close  relation  to  the  park  and  dressed 
grounds. 

Preparation  of  the  Ground. — This  is  a  matter 
which  has  been  much  discussed,  and  has  led  to  the 
expression  of  a  variety  of  opinions.  Some  have 
thought  that  a  very  careful  preparation  of  the  land 
is  indispensable;  others  would  content  themselves  with 
draining,  and  the  removal  of  furze  and  other  impedi- 
ments to  the  growth  of  the  trees.  Both  these  opinions 
will  hold  good  in  their  proper  places,  or  in  relation  to 


PRErARATION  OF  THE  GROUND.         167 

different  localities.  Our  own  experience  has  led  to  the 
conclusion  that  operose  preparations,  such  as  trench- 
ing or  plougliing,  are  in  general  not  required  beyond 
the  park,  and  that  the  expensive  operation  of  trenching 
may  be  confined  to  the  circle  of  the  dressed  grounds. 
The  principal  advantage  of  trenching  and  ploughing 
is  their  effect  in  accelerating  the  growth  of  the  trees, 
particularly  in  their  earlier  stages,  and  the  consequent 
rapidity  in  the  development  of  the  scenery  —  a  matter 
of  no  small  importance  to  gentlemen  who  wish  to  see 
and  enjoy  the  result  of  their  own  labors.  This  effect 
is  generally  very  marked  in  the  inter\al  between  the 
fifth  and  fifteenth  year  from  the  planting:  at  a  later 
period,  and  on  good  land,  it  is  much  less  perceptible. 

Trenching  is  undoubtedly  the  best  means  of  prepar- 
ing ground  for  planting;  but  as  it  costs  from  six  to  ten 
pounds  sterling  per  acre,  it  is  too  expensive  to  be  ex- 
tensively adopted.  As  a  substitute,  we  have  found  a 
method  of  deep  plowing,  particularly  on  grass  lands, 
to  be  very  useful.  Two  plows  are  required  for  the 
operation,  which  closely  resembles  subsoil  plowing. 
A  deep  furrow  is  first  drawn.  The  first  plow  next 
skims  off  some  two  or  three  inches  of  the  turf  and  soil, 
turning  it  over  into  the  open  furrow.  The  second  plow 
then  follows  in  the  same  furrow  as  the  first  plow,  cov- 
ering the  turf  with  four  or  five  inches  of  soil,  and  stir- 
ring the  land  to  the  depth  of  seven  or  eight  inches. 
By  this  means  the  soil  is  well  pulverized,  and  the  turf 
is  so  buried  as  to  insure  its  rotting,  and  thus  affords 
an  excellent  manure  for  the  trees.  The  expense  is 
about  twenty-four  shillings  per  acre. 

Draining  of  wet  land  is  essential  to  successful  plant- 
ing, and  is  not  to  be  supei-seded  by  any  other  operation, 


168  PARKS    AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

althougli,  on  trenched  grounds,  the  drains  may  be 
placed  at  greater  distances  from  each  other.  In  large 
plantations  the  drains  are  always  open,  and  may  be 
laid  down  at  intervals  of  sixteen  to  forty-eight  feet, 
according  to  the  porositj'  of  the  ground.  In  many 
places  of  the  park  open  drains  are  inadmissible;  and 
in  these  cases  we  prefer  box  drains,  formed  with 
stones,  as  much  less  liable  to  be  choked  up  with  roots 
of  trees  than  tile-pipes  or  tiles  and  soles  certainly  are. 

KoADS  THROUGH  PLANTATIONS. — Eoads,  or  ridcs,  as 
they  are  frequently  called,  are  needful  in  large  plan- 
tations. Though  used  for  carts  and  carriages,  they  are 
in  most  cases  only  grass  walks,  fifteen,  twenty,  or 
thirty  feet  wide,  with  open  ditches  on  each  side. 
Where  the  ground  is  soft,  it  may  be  necessary  to  lay 
a  portion  of  the  ce^iter  with  road-metal  or  gravel ;  and 
in  hollows,  it  is  useful  to  lay  a  box-drain  across  the 
line  of  road,  and  communicating  with  one  of  the  main 
drains.  The  open  drains  on  the  sides  should  not  be 
deep,  and  should  never  be  main  drains.  In  extensive 
woods,  we  would  form  some  of  the  leading  rides  at 
double  the  width  of  those  mentioned  above ;  it  is  in 
such  open  spaces  that  we  generally  have  the  appear- 
ance of  ornamental  scenery.  Or  we  would  occasion- 
ally expand  them  into  broad  lawns  and  glades,  and 
also  form  bays  and  recesses  along  their  borders.  These 
open  spaces,  besides  being  highly  picturesque,  afford 
good  feeding-grounds  for  game. 

Planting  of  Forest  Trees. — The  difierences  of 
opinion  which  exist,  as  to  the  best  method  of  planting, 
the  distances  between  the  trees,  and  the  most  suit- 
able season  for  the  work,  afford  sufficient  proof  that 
there  is  room  for  a  variety  of  treatment — a  fortunate 


PITTING.  160 

circumstance  when  the  planting  is  extensive,  as  it  ena- 
bles the  improver  to  have  his  work  better  executed  than 
it  would  be  were  he  obliged  to  confine  his  operations  to 
a  few  weeks  at  a  time.  Six  months  in  winter,  inclu- 
sive of  November  and  April,  are  the  utmost  limits 
within  which  planting  maj  bo  hazarded.  Indeed, 
April  and  one  half  of  March  should  be  excluded,  ex- 
cept in  late  seasons,  or  in  high,  cold,  and  wet  grounds. 
On  light,  dry  soils,  the  best  season  is  at  tJie  beginning 
of  winter ;  and  on  heavj  and  moist  situations,  toward 
its  close.  Very  wet,  snowj,  or  frosty  weather  presents 
the  only  interruptions  to  the  progress  of  planting;  in 
some  years,  these  will  reduce  the  planting  season  to 
within  half  the  period  stated  ivbove. 

Pitting,  though  the  most  expensive,  is  the  most 
certain  method  of  planting,  and  therefore  should  be 
adopted  in  the  woods  of  the  park.  The  only  allow- 
able exception  to  this  rule,  would  be  the  use  of  the  slit 
or  T  manner  of  inserting  the  trees  ;  which,  in  exposed 
localities,  and  with  seedlings,  will  less  subject  the 
plants  to  wind-waving,  and  so  will  be  more  successful 
than  ordinary  pitting.  The  trees  may  be  planted  at 
from  three  and  a  half  to  four  and  a  half  feet  apart, 
according  to  the  soil  and  situation — these  distances 
including  both  the  nursing  and  the  principal  trees.  In 
hardwood  plantations,  such  intervals  will  place  the 
ti-ees  from  seven  feet  to  nine  feet  apart.  Larch,  spruce, 
and  Scotch  firs  make  excellent  nurses,  and  are  ex- 
tremely useful  in  yielding  shelter,  and  in  drawing  up 
the  hardwood  into  tall,  clean  trunks.  In  sheltered 
situations,  and  in  good  soils,  such  nurses  may  be 
omitted.     Masses  of  hardwood  are  sometimes  required 

to  produce  particular  effects,  and  in  these  cases  it  is 
8 


170  PARKS   AND    PLEASUEE-GKOUNDS. 

better  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  firs  becoming  prin- 
cipals, to  the  injury  of  the  scenery.  With  this  view, 
we  have  had  hardwood,  without  firs,  planted  in  masses 
at  four  or  four  and  a  half  feet  apart. 

Pkuning. — In  the  culture  of  forest  trees,  pruning 
is,  after  planting,  the  most  important  operation.     Its 
object  is  the  production  of  a  large  trunk  or  bole  of 
clean,  sound  timber;  and  to  accomplish  this,  the  tree 
is  to  be  pruned  so  as  to  lead  to  the  accumulation  of 
the  principal  bulk  of  the  ligneous  m.atter  in  the  main 
stem.     Tliis  aim  should  be  distinctly  kept  in  view,  in 
every  operation,  whether  in  the  removal  or  shortening 
of  the  branches.     Keduced  to  this  general  principle, 
pruning  is  divested  of  all  difficulty,  at  least  when  it  is 
commenced  at  an  early  period,  and  is  regularly  and 
carefully  prosecuted.     After  a  shoot  has  been  selected 
for  the  main  stem,  all  other  shoots,  which  indicate  a 
tendency  to  draw  oft"  from  it  tlie  leading  growth,  should 
be  shortened  or  removed.     For  some  years  after  plant- 
ing, it  will  be,  for  the  most  part,  sufficient  to  fore- 
shorten ;  that  is,  to  cut  back  the  side-shoots  from  one- 
third  to  t*'0-thirds  of  their  length,  in  order  to  discour- 
age their  growth  in  a  lateral  direction  ;  but  this  is  on 
the  supposition  that  the  trees  have  taken  with  the 
ground,  and  are  in  a  thriving  state.    Where  hardwood 
does  not  appear  to  thi-ive  by  the  end  of  the  second,  or 
at  most  the  third  season  from  planting,  it  is  advisable, 
in  the  following  spring,  to  cut  the  trees  to  the  ground ; 
the  result  will  be  a  number  of  vigorous  shoots,  of 
which  one  should  be  selected  for  the  future  tree,  and 
the  others  removed. 

Where  a  plantation  has  grown  well  by  the  end  of 
the  sixth  or  seventh  year  from  planting,  in  addition  to 


PRUNING.  171 

the  pruning  already  recommended,  the  branches  for- 
merly foreshortened  should  be  cut  ofl'  at  the  lower 
part  of  the  stem ;  leaving  it  bare,  at  first,  not  above 
one-sixth,  or  at  most  one-fifth,  the  height  of  the  tree. 
By  the  time,  however,  that  the  tree  is  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  feet  high,  it  may  have  a  clear  stem  of  one- 
third  its  height,  and  varying  from  one-third  to  one-half 
when  the  tree  has  attained  a  stature  of  thirtj^  feet. 
These  remarks  are  not  meant  to  apply  in  all  cases,  in 
the  park  and  pleasure-grounds,  where  the  natural  ap- 
pearance of  many  trees  would  be  spoiled  by  the  re- 
moval of  branches  from  their  trunks  for  more  than  ten 
or  fifteen  feet.  Some  trees,  however,  are  improved  by 
the  partial  thinning  and  shortening  of  the  branches  to 
double  that  height.  When  pruning  should  begin,  and 
how  often  it  should  be  resorted  to,  must  be  left  to  the 
discretion  of  the  i:)roprietor,  judging  from  the  growth 
of  the  trees.  Some  plantations  will  be  benefited  by 
a  careful  examination  and  pruning  every  second  year ; 
others  will  require  attention  only  every  fourth  or 
fifth  year.  Some  excellent  foresters  condemn  the  peri- 
odical pruning  of  woods.  Our  own  exjDerience  is,  that 
it  is  advantageous  to  examine  the  trees  in  the  park 
every  second  or  third  jeai",  of  course,  pruning  only 
those  trees  that  require  it,  and  cutting  back  the  branches 
of  the  nurses  which  are  pressing  on  the  princij^als. 
We  agree  with  Mr.  Brown,  in  his  useful  work,  "The 
Forester,"  that  pruning  should  precede  thinning  by  at 
least  one  year.  When  both  operations  go  on  together, 
the  growth  of  the  young  trees  is  apt  to  be  checked  by 
their  sudden  exposure  to  the  colder  atmosphere,  con- 
sequent on  the  decrease  of  shelter.  Fir-trees  should 
be  planted  so  thickly  as  to  prune  themselves,  the  dead 


172  PAKKS    AND   PLEASUEL'-GKOCTNDS. 

branches  being  carefully  removed  as  they  appear.  On 
the  lawns  of  the  pleasure-ground,  some. firs  are  dis- 
posed to  extend  their  lower  branches  too  far.  To  coun- 
teract this  tendency,  and  to  throw  the  strength  of  the 
tree  into  the  main  stem,  the  terminal  bud  or  shoot  of 
the  lower  branches  is  to  be  pinched  off.  Cedars,  and 
other  spreading  firs,  treated  in  this  way,  may  be  made 
to  assume  an  upright  form. 

Thinning. — Tliinning  is  an  operation  nearly  as  neces- 
sary as  pruning,  and  in  fir  plantations  perhaps  the 
more  necessary  of  the  two.  As  young  woods  are  gen- 
erally planted  more  densely  than  is  needful  for  their 
permanent  condition,  in  order  that  the  young  trees 
may  produce  a  shelter  for  each  other,  and  a  correspond- 
ing warmth  in  the  climate,  the  period  selected  for  thin- 
ning the  young  plantations  should  vary  with  the  pro- 
gress of  the  trees,  as  that  again  will  vary  with  the  soil 
and  climate  in  which  they  grow.  Some  plantations 
may  receive  a  partial  thinning  by  the  time  they  have 
been  seven  or  eight  years  planted ;  others,  in  more 
exposed  places,  may  not  require  the  same  sort  of  thin- 
ning till  they  are  double  that  age. 

In  the  process  of  thinning,  it  should  be  distinctly 
kept  in  mind  that  the  trees  which  are  removed  were 
originally  planted  to  shelter  and  draw  up  the  trees 
which  are  to  remain,  and  that  only  those  are  to  be 
cleared  away,  from  time  to  time,  which  are  doing  in- 
jury to  those  designed  to  be  permanent.  When  this 
principle  is  made  to  regulate  the  work,  there  is  little 
danger  that  thinning  will  be  carried  to  .an  injurious 
excess.  I^othing  is  more  prejudicial  than  excessive 
thinning.  The  bark  of  those  trees  which  have  been 
well  sheltered  by  close  planting  is  less  dense,  and 


TKANSPLANTIXa   OF   TKEES.  173 

more  sensitive  to  cold,  than  that  of  trees  exposed  to 
all  weathers,  and  their  roots  are  much  fewer,  and  have 
a  slighter  hold  of  the  groiind.  It  is  evident,  therefore, 
that  the  trees  left  standing  in  over-thinned  plantations, 
being  ill-pre])ared  for  their  new  circumstances,  are 
sure  to  receive  a  severe  check ;  which,  if  it  does  not 
kill  them  outright,  will  retard  their  growth  for  many 
years,  or  stunt  them  to  an  extent  from  which  thej  may 
never  recover. 

The  thinning  of  fir  plantations  need  not  begin  be- 
fore the  trees  press  so  much  on  each  other  as  not  only 
to  check  the  growth  of  the  lower  branches,  but  also 
to  kill  a  portion  of  those  next  the  ground. 

In  hardwood  plantations,  the  thinning  commences 
when  the  nurses  press  so  much  on  the  permanent  trees 
as  really  to  injure  them ;  but  only  such  trees  should 
be  removed  as  actually  do  so.  "When  the  pressure  is 
slight,  it  may  be  relieved  by  cutting  back  the  nurses 
to  half  their  length,  and  they  may  be  allowed  to  re- 
main till  the  advance  of  the  hardwood  requires  their 
entire  removal.  From  the  time  that  all  the  nurses 
are  removed,  in  each  of  the  subsequent  thinnings 
which  are  necessary  to  leave  the  permanent  trees  that 
are  suitable  for  the  formation  of  large  timber,  those 
trees  should  first  be  cut  down  which  appear  to  press 
on  their  stronger  and  more  healthy  neighbors,  and  .to 
deprive  them  of  the  room  and  nourishment  needful  to 
their  increasing  growth. 

TRAxsPL^^Js'TIXG  OF  Tkees. —  In  the  improvement  of 
the  park  and  pleasure-grounds,  much  may  be  efiected 
by  the  transplantation  of  trees  of  a  considerable  size. 
AVhere  suitable  trees  are  to  be  had,  they  may  often  be 
effectively  employed  in  the  formation  of  groups  in  the 


174  PAKKS'  AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

lawns  and  in  the  park,  or  in  making  up  masses  of 
wood,  to  shut  out  disagreeable  views  or  unsightly 
objects.  As,  in  such  operations,  immediate  eftect  is 
the  principal  object  aimed  at,  it  is  a  matter  of  the 
utmost  importance  that  the  work  of  transplantation 
should  be  performed  with  such  care  and  success  that 
the  trees  should  not  only  live,  but  also  recover  their 
vigorous  growth  and  healthy  appearance,  within  two 
or  three  years  after  their  removal.  This,  with  trees 
from  twenty  to  forty  feet  high,  is  usually  a  result  of 
somewhat  difficult  attainment.  The  most  propitious 
season  for  transplanting  deciduous  trees  we  have 
found  to  be  in  September*,  while  the  foliage  was  still 
green,  but  the  young  wood  firm  and  ripening  off. 
Young  rootlets  are  almost  sure  to  be  formed  befo'  e 
winter,  through  which  the  tree  receives  an  imn  e- 
diate  supply  of  sap  in  spring;  while  later- planted 
trees  often  continue  withering  in  the  wind  till  roots 
are  put  forth  in  the  beginning  of  summer.  Proper 
subjects  for  transplanting  should  be  selected ;  the  best 
are  found  growing,  if  not  in  exposed,  at  least  in  well- 
aired  localities  ;  such  as  on  the  outsides  of  plantations, 
with  branches  tolerably  well-balanced,  and  having  a 
copious  supply  of  roots.  Trees  from  these  situations, 
and  with  these  qualities,  are  more  hardy  and  better 
able  than  an}-  others  to  stand  the  increased  exposure 
arising  from  their  being  planted  as  single  trees,  or  in 
thin  groups.  If  trees  can  not  be  obtained,  as  above 
recommended,  recourse  must  be  had  to  the  interior  of 
plantations;  but  they  should  be  prepared,  by  thinning 
and  the  consequent  exposure,  before  they  are  removed. 

•  Not  in  the  United  States ;  October  and  November  are  better  months  for  autumn, 
and  March  and  April  for  spring  planting. — Ed. 


TRANSPLANTING    OF    TREES.  175 

It  is  generally  worse  than  useless,  to  transplant  feeble 
(Irawn-up  trees,  from  close-sheltered  thickets,  into  the 
position  of  single  trees  or  groups ;  for,  although  they 
may  survive  the  check  sustained  from  the  necessary 
loss  of  roots,  and  the  increased  cold,  not  one  in  ten 
will  ever  form  a  tine  tree.  AVe  may  add,  tluit  though 
trees  may  often  be  transplanted  at  once,  success  is 
more  certain  when  they  have  been  prepared  by  having 
their  roots  cut  two  or  three  years  before  their  removal. 
This  is  done  by  digging  a  trench  round  the  tree,  at 
the  distance  of  from  two  to  four  feet  from  the  trunk, 
according  to  the  size,  and  to  the  depth  of  from  eigh- 
teen to  thirty  inches,  so  that  all  the  spreading,  roots 
may  be  cut  through,  and  the  descending  roots  left  un- 
touched for  the  present.  When  the  roots  are  abund- 
ant, three  or  four  of  the  principal  ones  should  be  left 
undivided  till  the  period  of  transplantation ;  or  they 
may  be  cut  at  the  distance  of  three  or  four  feet  beyond 
the  trench.  These  reserved  roots  will  afford  the  tree 
a  better  hold  of  the  ground  when  lifted,  while  the 
shortened  roots  will  yield  a  copious  supply  of  fibers  with 
which  to  commence  its  renewed  growtJ].  When  the 
soil  is  ordinary  quality,  it  may  be  replaced  in  the 
trench ;  if  it  is  very  inferior,  or  if  there  are  but  few 
roots  or  fibers  within  the  ball  left  by  the  catting,  some 
prepared  soil  may  be  introduced.  Generally,  however, 
this  is  unnecessary,  and  we  prefer  keeping  the  enriched 
earth  to  be  put  round  the  ball  and  among  the  young 
fibers,  at  the  time  when  the  tree  is  placed  in  its  new 
fcite. 

The  removal  of  large  trees  requires  the  assistance 
of  machinery,  horses,  and  a  number  of  men.  Ihe 
common  two-wheeled  Janker,  with  its  single  pole  and 


ITO  I'AKKS    AND    PLEASUKE-G ROUNDS. 

truss  fixed  on  the  center  of  the  axle,  is  the  least  expen- 
sive, and,  at  the  same  time,  the  most  convenient 
machine.  As  the  trees,  when  placed  on  it,  lie  on 
their  side,  a  little  management  is  required  to  preserve 
the  branches  from  being  injured  bj  trailing  on  the 
ground.  We  have  found  the  Janker  sufficient  for 
ordinary  purposes.  The  Elvaston  machine  is  a  more 
expensive  one,  but  is  undoubtedly  a  more  efficient  aid 
in  transplantation;  the  trees  are  moved  with  larger 
and  better  balls,  and  the  branches  are  preserved  from 
injury  by  the  trunks  being  kept  erect. 

]^ote.' — The  transplanting  of  trees  more  than  four 
inches  in  diameter  at  the  base  of  the  trunk  or  collar, 
without  a  large  ball  of  earth  adhering  to  the  roots,  is 
of  little  use  in  our  American  climate.  With  the  ball 
of  earth  at  the  roots  carefully  taken  up,  and  loaded 
on  to  a  sled  or  stone-boat,  the  operation  may  be  suc- 
cessfully performed,  and  the  tree  saved  by  mulching 
with  barn  litter,  sawdust,  or  tanbark. — Ed. 

When  the  tree  is  placed  in  its  new  site,  it  is  most 
important  that  it  should,  be  properly  and  securely 
fixed.  To  accomplish  this  object,  the  earth  should  be 
rammed  in  firmly  below  the  ball,  so  as  to  give  the 
root  a  solid  seat,  and  to  prevent  the  roots  from  moving 
when  the  upper  part  of  the  tree  is  acted  on  by  the 
wind.  The  roots  and  fibers  should  then  be  carefully 
laid  out,  and  covered  with  fresh  loam  or  enriched  soil. 
When  the  earth  is  made  up  nearly  to  the  natural  level 
of  the  ground,  three  strong  wooden  pins,  six  or  eight 
inches  in  diameter,  should  be  driven  down  to  the  same 
level,  near  the  outside  of  the  hole,  and  forming  a  tri- 
ano-le,  with  the  tree  in  the  center.  To  these  pins  are 
to  be  nailed  three  strong  slabs  of  wood,  completing 


PLANTING  AND  TRANSPLANTING  EVERGREENS.       177 

the  sides  of  the  triangle,  and  laying  fast  hold  on  the 
ball  or  principal  roots  of  the  tree.  The  operation  is 
then  finished  by  filling  up  and  beating  in  the  earth  to 
the  level  of  the  surface.  Trees  so  planted  will  resist 
almost  any  amount  of  wind,  and  be  free  from  the  un- 
sightly appliances  of  stakes,  props,  ropes,  and  heaps 
of  stones,  often  placed  round  them  to  maintain  their 
upright  position. 

Planting  and  Transplanting  of  Evergreens. — 
The  distribution  of  evergreen  trees  and  shrubs  is  among 
the  most  interesting  operations  in  the  formation  and 
improvement  of  pleasure-grounds ;  in  the  first,  they 
give  at  once  a  clothed  a^^pearance  to  what  was  bare 
ground ;  and  in  the  second,  by  their  change  of  posi- 
tion they  efiect  an  almost  entire  alteration  in  the  scen- 
ery of  the  place.  Success,  however,  requires  not  only 
careful  execution,  but  also  due  attention  to  the  proper 
seasons  for  the  performance  of  the  work. 

In  all  cases,  it  is  advisable  that  the  ground  should 
be  well  drained  and  trenched ;  and  where  poor,  it 
should  be  enriched  with  fresh  soil  or  manure,  or  both, 
especially  when  tlie  shrubs  are  young  and  small. 
Light  sandy  soils  are  greatly  improved  by  moderate 
additions  of  clayey  loam  or  peat  earth.  In  transplant- 
ing shrubs  of  considerable  size,  we  prefer  putting  the 
enriched  soil  or  manure  close  round  the  ball,  and  in 
contact  with  the  young  fibers.  In  such  cases,  too,  it 
is  useful  to  prepare  the  plants,  by  cutting  a  trench 
round  them,  a  year  or  two  previously,  as  recommended 
in  relation  to  forest  trees. 

In  lifting  evergreen  shrubs  for  transplantation,  as 
many  root§  as  possible  should  be  preserved.     When 

tliev   are   large,   or   a  little   above  the  size   usually 

8* 


178  PAEKS    AND    PLEASUKE-GROUKDS. 

procurable  from  nurseries,  tliej  should  liave  good  balls ; 
and  if  these  can  not  be  secured,  at  least  to  a  moderate 
.  extent,  it  will  be  proper  to  reduce  the  head  of  the 
plant,  as  otherwise  many  of  the  branches  will  die  back, 
from  their  inability  to  support  their  former  amount  of 
foliage.  Perhaps  this  thinning  out  of  the  branches 
should  be  resorted  to  in  all  cases  when  large  shrubs 
are  shifted ;  but  it  is  less  necessary  when  the  balls  are 
large,  and  the  roots  are  well  prepared.  For  the  most 
part,  there  is  good  economy  in  the  moderate  use  of  the 
knife,  both  in  respect  of  time  and  of  appearance. 

All  slirubs,  and  especially  large  ones,  should  have 
an  ample  supply  of  water  when  they  are  transplanted, 
and  this  is  most  effectively  given  when  the  water  is 
run  into  the  new  pit  in  which  the  plant  is  placed,  along 
with  the  filling-iu  of  the  earth,  beginning  when  the 
pit  is  about  one-fourth  filled,  and  continuing  till  it  is 
nearly  quite  full.  The  quantity  of  the  water  should 
be  such  as  to  form  a  strong  puddle  round  the  ball. 
This  mode  of  watering  keeps  the  roots  moist,  as  well 
as  consolidates  the  earth  about  them ;  and  if  carefully 
done  at  first,  will  scarcely  require  any  additions.  If 
the  water  is  not  administered  till  after  the  earth  has 
been  fully  pressed  in  round  the  roots,  frequent  repeti- 
tion and  larger  quantities  will  be  necessary,  and  the 
same  beneficial  results  will  not  be  attained. 

There  has  been  much  difference  of  opinion,  and 
many  discussions,  respecting  the  most  suitable  season 
for  transplanting  evergreen  shrubs.  Some  recommend 
the  autumn  months,  others  the  winter  and  spring. 
When  the  operations  are  extensive,  it  may  at  times  be 
necessary  to  carry  on  the  work  during  the  whole  period, 


PLANTING  AND  TRANSPLANTING  EVEEGEEENS.    179 

and  if  frosty  and  withering  weather  is  avoided,  the 
phmting  may  be  successful. 

2^ote. — ^The  winters  of  Great  Britain  are  so  mild 
that  the  frosts  are  seldom  an  impediment  to  planting, 
in  either  of  the  winter  months.  In  our  Middle  and 
aSTorthern  states,  the  winter  season  is  unsuited  for 
planting  trees  of  any  kind. — Ed. 

It  is  admitted  by  all,  that  the  transplanting  of  ever- 
greens should  not  be  attempted  when  the  plants  are  in 
full  growth ;  for,  though  even  then  they  may  survive 
the  shock,  the  chance  is  that  most  of  them  will  perish 
or  die  down  to  the  ground.  It  seems  also  ascertained, 
that  the  loss  of  evergreens  when  transplanted  is  caused 
by  the  excess  of  perspiration  from  their  leaves,  com- 
pared with  the  quantity  of  sap  taken  up  by  their 
mutilated  roots ;  and  that,  consequently,  dry,  parching 
weather,  at  whatever  season  it  occurs,  is,  other  things 
being  equal,  the  most  unpropitious  for  the  operations 
to  which  we  are  now  adverting.  At  first  sight,  this 
principle  might  seem  to  exclude  the  end  of  summer 
and  early  autumn  from  the  seasons  available  for  plant- 
ing ;  and  yet  it  docs  not,  and  that  for  various  reasons. 
At  the  period  to  which  we  have  referred,  there  is  much 
warmth  in  the  soil,  and  as  the  perfected  sap  is  then 
descending  from  the  leaves,  the  growth  of  roots  com- 
mences rapidly  and  goes  on  to  a  considerable  extent, 
in  which  case  the  plant  is  soon  out  of  danger.  Then 
there  is  often  cloudy  and  dripping  weather,  after  the 
turn  of  the  day,  as  it  is  called,  and  every  one  must 
have  remarked  the  greater  geniality  of  that  season  in 
regard  to  growth,  as  compared  with  sj^ring.  Besides, 
in   the   spring   months,   the   soil   is    colder   and   the 


180  PARKS   AND   PLEASUBE-GROrXDS. 

atmosphere  is  drier  than  in  autumn,  as  may  be  seen 
irom  the  table  on  the  opposite  page. 

The  conclusions  to  be  derived  from  tliose  tables 
plainly  point  out  autumn  as  the  best  period  for  the 
transplanting  of  evergreens ;  and  yet,  -when  rightly 
considered,  they  admit  of  that  wide  range  of  time 
which  actual  experience  authenticates.  We  believe 
that  evergreens,  in  small  quantities,  have  been  safely 
transplanted  from  midsummer  to  the  end  of  April  — • 
perhaps  we  might  say  the  whole  year  round.  This 
has  occurred  from  a  compensation  of  advantages  and 
disadvantages.  Take  August,  for  example :  the  air  is 
then  drier  than  it  is  two  months  later,  but  the  soil  is 
warmer ;  and  if  the  plants  escape  a  blazing  sun  for  a 
few  days,  the  growth  of  roots  will  commence,  and  will 
very  speedily  supply  to  the  leaves  all  the  perspirable 
matter  that  is  needed.  Thus,  an  equilibrium  of  action 
is  rapidly  established.  In  December  or  January  again, 
supposing  frost  to  be  absent,  in  which  case  alone  the 
comparison  is  possible,  the  evaporation  is  diminished, 
but  the  warmth  of  the  soil  is  also  lowered,  and  the 
transj^lanted  evergi'een  is  apparently  in  similar  circum- 
stances as  before ;  and  yet  it  is  not  so  favorably  situ- 
ated, since  it  wants  the  establishing  influences  of  the 
autumn  months  before  it  is  required  to  encounter  the 
severities  of  spring.  It  must  be  added,  however,  that 
in  mild,  moist  winters  and  springs  there  is  often  suf- 
ficient warmth  in  the  soil  to  promote  the  growth  of 
roots  ;  and  at  these  times,  if  the  weather  is  such  as  to 
prevent  excess  of  evaporation,  the  transplantation  may 
be  completely  successful. 

In  the  colder  districts,  there  are  sometimes  pro- 
tracted  frosts,   lasting,   perhaps,   from   December   to 


PLANTING    AND    TKANSPLANTIXG    KVEKGREENS.    181 


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182  PARKS    AND   PLEASUKE-GEOUXDS. 

March,  during  which  the  air  becomes  extreme!}-  di  y, 
and  if  it  is  set  in  motion  bj  northerly  or  easterly 
winds,  its  efiect  is  rapidly  destructive  to  all  evergreens, 
though  long  established,  if  less  hardy  than  the  holly 
or  yew.  By  such  a  wind,  even  "the  iv}'  never  sere" 
is  changed  into  a  russet-brown.  We  can  not  wonder, 
then,  that  an  arbutus  or  a  sweet  bay  should  wither 
visibly  before  it ;  and  it  will  at  once  be  perceived,  that 
"weather  which  thus  goes  far  to  destroy  established 
evergreens  must  be  absolutely  pernicious  to  those  en- 
feebled by  recent  planting.  The  remark  will  suggest 
the  consideration  of  shelter  for  evergreens,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  j)roper  season  for  their  removal. 

Dr.  Lindley  concludes  an  able  article  on  the  trans- 
planting of  shrubs  by  saying,  that  "  Upon  the  whole, 
September,  October,  and  November  should  be  pre- 
ferred—  one  being  better  in  one  year,  and  one  in 
another.  "We  shall  only  add,  that  a  ground  tempera- 
ture of  forty-seven  degrees,  which  may  be  taken  as 
that  of  ihoroxigTily  drained  land  near  London,  in  Xo- 
vember,  is  sufficiently  high  for  plants  to  form  their 
roots  in."    (Gardeners'  Chronicle^  January  6th,  1S49.) 

Eeferring  to  our  own  experience,  we  have  had  ever- 
green shrubs  successfully  transplanted  from  the  mid- 
dle of  July  to  the  middle  of  April,  but  only  in  small 
quantities  in  the  months  of  July,  March,  and  April. 
We  believe  that  September,  October,  and  jSTovember 
form  the  most  suitable  seasons  in  the  middle  districts 
of  the  island  —  allowing,  perhaps,  a  fortnight  earlier 
for  the  northern,  and  a  fortnight  later  for  the  southern 
parts  of  Great  Britain.  In  the  mild  climates  of  Ire- 
land, the  planting  may  be  freely  continued  during  the 
whole  of  the  autumn,  winter,  and  spring  months.    But 


PLANTING  AND  TRANSPLANTING  EVERGREENS.        183 

in  no  circumstances  should  evergreens  be  moved  in 
hot,  dry  sunshine,  in  cold,  parching  winds,  or  in  actual 
frost;  at  such  times,  the  roots  and  foliage  are  sure  to 
suffer  while  they  are  out  of  the  ground.  Further,  it 
is  not  generally  advisable  to  shift  them  before  the 
annual  shoots  are  somewhat  ripened,  in  autumn. 

Note. — ^The  subjects  comprised  in  this  chapter  being 
chiefly  of  a  2>^'ofessional  character,  and  equally  appli- 
cable to  this  country  as  to  Great  Britain,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  refer  those  who  wish  to  avail  themselves 
of  its  instruction  to  a  close  and  discriminating  study 
of  every  deiDartment  discussed  by  our  author. — Ed. 


184  PARKS   AND   PLEASUEE-G ROUNDS. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

FENCES  OF  THE  PARK  AND  PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

General  Remarks  —  Boundary  Fence  —  Internal  Fences  —  Fence  of  the 
Deer  Park  —  Pleasure-Ground  Fences  —  Malleable-iron  Fences  — 
Sunk  Fences  —  Stone  Walls  —  Hedges. 

Both  in  its  original  signification  and  actual  usage, 
the  term,  Park,  denotes  an  inclosed  space.  The  park, 
therefore,  is  always  encircled  by  a  boundary  or  ring 
fence,  of  sufficient  height  to  afford  protection  from 
without,  to  retain  in  their  proper  places  "  the  beasts 
of  chase,"  or  the  cattle  that  may  be  kept  within  it, 
and  to  insure  that  moderate  seclusion  which  is  an  es- 
sential requisite  to  a  country  residence,  in  the  estima- 
tion both  of  its  inmates  and  of  those  strangers  whom 
the  liberality  of  the  proprietor  permits  to  visit  and 
enjoy  its  scenery.  Besides  this  bounding  inclosure, 
however,  internal  or  divisional  fences  are  necessary. 
A  park  of  many  hundred  acres,  and  including  a  multi- 
plicit}'  of  objects,  invariably  requires  to  be  subdivided 
into  lesser  portions,  for  the  convenience  of  grazing, 
and  for  other  reasons,  such  as  the  separation  of  certain 
of  the  wooded  surfaces  from  the  pasture-grounds,  and 
the  due  regulation  of  the  secondary  roads,  and  even 
sometimes  of  the  main  approach.  "We  shall  take  up 
these  two  classes  of  fences  in  succession. 


BOUNDARY  fexct:.  185 

BoDNDAKY  Fence. — The  outline  and  position  of  this 
fence  depend  on  those  of  the  park  itself,  and  seldom 
call  for  much  attention  except  where  it  thrusts  itself 
obtrusively  on  the  eye,  a  circumstance  to  be  guarded 
against  or  ameliorated  when  possible.  The  fence  itself 
is  often  a  wall  built  of  stone,  or,  if  that  material  is 
scarce,  of  bricks ;  and  it  may  be  from  six  and  a  half 
feet  to  nine  feet  in  height.  On  flat  surfaces,  fences  of 
this  altitude  shut  out  much  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try; and  in  such  cases,  when  it  is  desirable  to  extend 
the  view  to  the  adjacent  portion  of  the  estate,  instead 
of  the  wall  may  be  substituted  a  sunk  fence,  with  the 
fosse  or  trench  on  the  outside.  Where  timber  is  abun- 
dant, wooden  fences  are  occasionally  employed ;  but 
unless  of  moderate  extent,  their  want  of  durability 
renders  them  less  desirable  than  those  formed  of  more 
permanent  materials.  A  close,  tall  pale  of  split  oak, 
however,  is  very  serviceable,  and  will  last  for  upward . 
of  thirt}--  years.  Hedges  seldom  prove  efficient  boun- 
daries ;  when,  however,  combined  wnth  walls,  and  well 
trained  and  kept,  they  may  suffice  for  parks  in  thinly 
populated  districts.  The  walls  may  be  two  or  three 
feet  high,  with  a  low  bank  of  earth  behind,  on  which 
to  plant  the  hedge. 

Internal  Fences. — The  proper  arrangement  of  the 
divisional  fences  in  the  interior  of  the  park  is  a  matter 
of  considerable  difficulty,  and  one  in  which  there  are 
perhaps  more  failures  than  in  almost  any  other.  The 
common  error  is  the  application  of  the  principles  of 
ordinary  farm  fencing  to  the  ornamental  grounds.  In 
purely  agricultural  districts  the  divisions  are  arranged 
so  as  to  facilitate  drainage,  and  to  suit  the  conveniences 
of  tillage.     The  normal  type  of  the  agricultural  field 


186  PAKKS   AND   PLEASUKE-GK0UND8. 

is  a  square  or  parallelogram ;  but  these  forms  can 
scarcely  be  introduced  into  the  park,  at  least  visibly, 
without  a  wretched  effect.  Many  parks  are  subdi- 
vided by  such  a  multiplicity  of  hedges  and  walls  as 
to  deprive  them  of  all  apparent  continuity  of  surface, 
and  therefore  of  that  unity  which  is  ahvaj^s  so  desir- 
able. We  have  often  seen  the  contour  of  a  small  hill 
•lestroyed  by  a  hedge  planted  along  its  top,  the  slope 
of  a  fine  bank  interrupted  by  a  wall  run  up  or  across 
its  breast,  or  what  is  perhaps  even  worse,  the  bottom 
of  a  small  and  beautiful  valley  crossed  and  recrossed 
by  hedge  and  ditch  or  dry  stone  wall,  to  the  utter  de- 
struction of  the  natural  beauty  of  the  locality.  Clearl}-, 
the  internal  fences  of  the  park  should  be  so  arranged 
as  to  avoid  these  barbarously  mutilating  divisions  of 
surfaces.  Indeed,  could  the  woods  be  reared  for  the 
first  forty  or  fifty  years  without  fences,  there  might  be 
an  almost  total  absence  of  that  formality  and  inter- 
ference with  contour  so  common  in  most  parks ;  and 
there  would  be  much  more  of  that  free  irregularity  of 
outline  which  is  so  characteristic  a  feature  in  the  group- 
ing of  the  natural  forest.  But  as  we  have  already  said, 
internal  fences  in  the  park  cannot  be  dispensed  with ; 
yet,  in  relation  to  the  general  scenery,  they  should  be 
regarded  as  necessary  evils,  and  those  forms  and  dis- 
tributions of  them  should  be  preferred  which  are  least 
conspicuous  and  obtrusive.  Lines  should  be  adopted 
which  accommodate  themselves  to  the  furm  of  the 
ground,  or  which  may  be  most  easily  masked  or  re- 
lieved with  scattered  trees.  With  these  objects  in 
view,  the  inclosures  of  the  woods  and  clumps  may  be 
made  to  form  a  considerable  portion  of  the  divisional 
fences  of  the  park. 


FENCE  OF  THE  DEER  PARK.  187 

Fence  of  the  Deer  Park. — Deer  parks  require 
fences  equal  to  the  best  description  of  park  walls. 
When  they  are  placed  contiguous  to  the  external 
boundary  of  the  home  domain,  a  considerable  amount 
of  separate  fencing  must  be  dispensed  with.  As  a 
division  from  the  other  portions  of  the  park,  a  well- 
laid-out,  sunk  fence-wall,  of  medium  height,  with  a 
wire  fence  along  the  top,  will  be  found  to  be  sufficient. 

Note. — Deer,  in  the  United  States,  cost  more  than 
they  come  to.  The  fallow  deer  of  England  do  not 
withstand  the  vicissitudes  of  our  climate,  and  the 
American  deer  are  too  wild,  and  leap  too  high,  to  be 
favorites  with  our  park  proprietors.  Well  bred  cattle 
and  sheep  are  better. — Ed. 

Pleasure-ground  Fences. — In  immediate  connec- 
tion with  the  mansion-house,  and  especially  where 
there  is  only  a  limited  extent  of  dressed  grounds  be- 
tween it  and  the  park,  the  most  appropriate  fence  is 
an  architectural  one  of  the  same  materials,  and  in  the 
same  style,  as  the  principal  buildings.  In  no  case 
should  this  fence  be  raised  much  above  the  general 
surface,  otherwise  the  view  of  the  external  scenery 
may  be  greatly  intercepted.  In  flat  situations,  and 
where  the  principal  rooms  are  raised  only  a  few  steps 
above  the  ground  level,  wire  fences  are  connnonly  the 
most  suitable.  The  proper  seclusion  of  the  pleasure- 
grounds  will  often  require  a  wall  of  six  or  seven  feet 
in  height,  to  separate  them,  for  example,  from  the 
back-road  to  the  house  and  ofiices.  Such  a  wall, 
however,  should  hardly  ever  cross  the  views  from  the 
principal  windows.  In  these  places,  a  sunk  fence,  or 
a  wire  fence,  should  generally  be  substituted. 

Malleable  Iron  Fences,  such  as  those  made  of 


188  PAKKS    AND    PLEASUKE-GROUNDS. 

wire  and  small  iron  rods  for  the  use  of  the  park,  come 
nearer  to  perfection  than  any  others.  We  consider 
them  the  greatest  improvement  introduced  into  this 
department  of  fencing  during  the  last  hundred  years. 
Their  light  and  simple  forms  interposing  a  small 
amount  of  opaque  matter  between  the  eye  and  ob- 
jects beyond,  render  them  nearly  invisible;  and  when 
tbnned  of  proper  materials,  and  well  constructed,  they 
are  very  durable,  and  as  efficient  as  a  fence  can  well 
be.  The  use  of  iron  rods  screwed  into  each  other,  in 
place  of  the  top  wire  and  of  the  third  wire  from  the 
ground,  improves  greatly  the  common  wire  fence. 
We  lately  inspected  a  fence  of  this  description  which 
had  stood  thirty-three  years,  and  found  it  perfectly 
sound,  and  likely  to  last  for  as  long  a  period  to  come. 
Instead  of  the  above,  iron  hurdle-fences  are  sometimes 
used,  and,  being  more  movable,  have  their  conven- 
iences in  certain  situations.  Wire  fences  with  wooden 
posts  are  at  present  pretty  extensively  used.  In  rela- 
tion to  agricultural  purposes,  we  have  nothing  to  say 
ao;ainst  them:  but  we  confess  that  we  resrard  them  as 
offensive  in  the  park,  and  we  should  employ  them  only 
as  temporary  expedients.  At  a  distance,  they  appear 
an  array  of  wooden  stumps  stuck  into  the  ground, 
without  visible  utility  or  connection ;  and  on  flat  sur- 
faces, where  several  lines  may  be  seen  together,  they 
are  at  once  mean  and  monotonous. 

Sunk  Fences  have  been  generally  superseded  by 
wire  fences ;  there  are,  however,  some  positions  in 
which  tlie  former  are  preferable,  as  we  have  pointed 
out  when  speaking  of  the  boundary  and  deer-park  in- 
closures.  The  proper  place  of  the  sunk  fence  in  the 
park  is  where  a  sectional  division  is  wanted,  while  it 


STONE   WALLS  —  HEDGES.  189 

i3  desirable  to  preserve  an  apparent  continuity  of  out- 
line in  a  glade,  or  an  expanse  of  grass  on  a  level  or 
slightly  inclined  surface,  on  which,  perhaps,  even  the 
inconsiderable  constraint  of  a  wire  fence  might  be 
objectionable.  The  wall  of  the  sunk  fence  should 
never  face  the  principal  point  of  view  ;  and  from 
such  points  it  is  not  an  advantage  for  the  line  of  di- 
rection to  be  seen  on  end,  and  so  to  be  enfiladed  by 
the  eye.  A  low  wall,  thirty  inches  in  height,  forming 
a  sunk  fence  two  feet  in  depth,  with  two  wires  along 
the  top,  affords  a  good,  cheap  protection  for  plantations 
where  stones  are  abundant. 

Stone  Walls  are  good  permanent  fences ;  but  on 
flat  or  slightly  undulating  surfaces,  they  often  hide  a 
considerable  breadth  of  view,  especially  when  em- 
ployed as  internal  divisions.  For  plantations  they 
are  less  objectionable,  as  the  trees  overhang  and  vail 
them.  They  are  best  suited  for  hilly  and  mountainous 
countries,  and  in  these  they  may  be  freely  employed, 
as  the  objections  which  may  be  made  against  walls  in 
other  places  are  there  less  applicable. 

Hedges  afford  a  cheap  sort  of  fence.*  They  are  not, 
however,  generally  speaking,  very  suitable  for  the  park; 
for  however  neatly  they  may  be  cut  and  dressed,  it  is 
needful,  when  they  form  the  boundaries  of  clumps  or 
plantations,  to  keep  the  trees  trimmed  back,  in  order  to 
prevent  them  from  injuring  the  hedges,  and  so  they 
impart  a  more  formal  and  constrained  outline  to  grow- 
ing wood  than  almost  any  other  species  of  fence  does. 
Hedges  may  be  planted  with  good  effect  on  the  inside 
of  the  boundary  walls  of  the  park,  to  clothe  them 
when  they  are  not  screened  by  plantations. 

•  Not  in  this  country. — Kd. 


190  PAKKS   AJSTD    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

Note. — ^Necessity,  not  choice,  must  rule  the  char- 
acter of  fences  to  a  considerable  extent  in  America. 
In  ornamental  grounds,  when  stone  can  be  had,  the 
ha-ha,  or  sunken  wall,  with  a  sloping  ditch  bank  facing 
it,  is  the  most  appropriate,  and  may  be  made  efficient 
for  usual  purposes.  By  this  mode,  the  unsightly  ap- 
pearance of  ordinary  fences  is  superseded.  The  lawn 
and  park  of  the  late  Gardiner  G.  Ilowland,  near  New 
Hamburgh,  on  the  Hudson,  designed  and  planted,  and 
for  some  years  occupied,  by  James  Lenox,  Esq.,  of 
New  York,  as  well  as  those  of  Mr.  Sheafe,  on  the 
elevated  lands  adjoining,  exhibit  fine  specimens  of  the 
unbroken  effect  which  such  places  may  produce  in  the 
absence  of  fences,  none  being  visible  within  the  boun- 
daries. "Where  so  great  a  variety  of  fencing  material 
is  resorted  to,  as  witli  us,  local  convenience,  and  ex- 
pense, must  measurably  govern  the  kind  to  be  used. 
The  perishable  nature  of  wood,  and  its  inreasing  scar- 
city, will  soon  compel  us  to  resort  to  other  materials 
in  districts  where  stone  is  not  to  be  procured.  Wire 
has  been  successfully  introduced  in  some  sections  of 
the  country,  and  hedges  are — talked  of.  Although 
these  latter  are  advocated  by  some,  ^  pennanently  effi- 
cient hedge,  inclosing  an  entire  park,  pleasure-ground, 
or  agricultural  estate,  has  not  yet  come  to  our  notice. 
Hedges  may,  in  time,  be  introduced,  and  perhaps  to 
good  purpose ;  but  we  are  somewhat  doubtful  of  their 
adoption  to  any  considerable  extent,  save,  perhaps,  in 
the  use  of  Osage  Orange,  on  the  western  prairies. 
The  subject  of  fences,  therefore,  for  the  present  object, 
must  be  left  to  the  convenience  and  circumstances  of 
the  land  and  its  proprietor. — Ed, 


WATER.  191 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

WATER. 

Artificial  Lakes  —  Islands  —  The  Head  or  Artificial  Embankment  — 
Decorative  Accompaniments  —  Artificial  Rivers  —  Jet  Fountains  — 
Jets  d'Eau  —  Propriety  of  Introducing  Water. 

Of  all  the  varied  materials  in  the  composition  of 
natural  scenery,  there  is  none  that  produces  more 
beauty,  variety  and  interest  than  water ;  nor  is  there 
any  that  enters  into  so  many  pleasing  combinations 
with  surroundino;  objects.  This  felicity  in  adjusting 
itself  to  the  beautiful  in  nature  awakens  a  strong  de- 
sire for  the  introduction  of  so  pleasing  an  element 
into  the  more  artificial  arrangements  of  parks  and 
pleasure-grounds.  In  these  it  assumes  a  diversity  of 
forms,  such  as  artificial  lakes,  ponds,  rivers,  waterfalls, 
fountains,  and  jets  d'eau — means  of  ornament  which, 
when  skillfully  executed  and  kept  in  their  proper 
places,  are  always  a  great  acquisition  to  the  grounds 
into  which  they  are  introduced. 

In  the  formation  of  an  artificial  lakk  there  are  two 
requisites  of  almost  equal  importance.  The  first  is  an 
adequate  supply  of  water,  without  which,  indeed,  we 
may  make  a  morass  or  weedy  pool,  but  not  a  pleasing 
sheet  of  the  liquid  element.  The  second,  and  not  in- 
ferior object  is  a  suitable  site  for  the  lake.  If  the 
locality  does  not  convey  the  impression  that  the  water 


192  PARKS    AND    PLEASUBE-GEOinSDS. 

is  resting  in  a  hollow,  vale  or  platform,  and  is  retained 
there  by  a  natural  obstruction  not  easily  removed, 
there  will  be  "-a  want  of  truth  or  fidelity"  of  expres- 
sion in  relation  to  "  the  thing  imitated"  that  will  tend 
to  excite  aversion  rather  than  pleasure  in  the  minds  of 
those  who  have  been  trained  to  a  genuine  taste  for  the 
beauties  of  nature.  Wherever  the  artificial  lake  is 
seen,  generally  speaking,  it  ought  to  appear  in  the 
lowest  part  of  the  landscape  within  the  park;  or  if 
it  cannot  be  made  to  present  this  appearance  from 
every  point  of  view,  care  should  be  taken  to  secure  a 
considerable  breadth  of  space  between  the  lake  itself 
and  the  natural  outlet  by  which  its  waters  seem  to  be 
drained  off.  Without  these  necessary  features,  there 
is  a  want  of  truthfulness  in  the  expression.  It  is  true 
that  in  hilly  and  mountainous  countries,  pools  are 
found  without  the  conditions  above  specified,  but  there 
is  always  something  to  account  for  them,  and  they  are 
mostly  mere  spots  in  the  landscape ;  while  in  parks 
and  pleasure-grounds,  sheets  of  water  are,  from  their 
nature,  prominent  objects,  and  whatever  is  obtrusively 
artificial  or  out  of  harmony  is  sure  to  be  offensive. 
When  a  series  of  ponds  or  lakes  arc  formed  on  the 
same  stream,  and  in  the  same  park,  it  is  desirable  that 
the  natural  form  of  the  ground  should  be  such  as  to 
indicate  that,  in  each  case,  no  great  amount  of  obstruc- 
tion was  necessary  to  attain  the  designed  effect. 

The  place,  then,  for  an  artificial  lake  is  a  natural 
hollow  where  no  great  embankment  is  required,  or 
where  a  moderate  excavation  will  afford  materials  for 
the  banks  needed  to  retain  the  water,  for  the  islands 
and  promontories  on  the  lake  itself,  and  for  the  knolls 
and  slopes  by  which  the  ground  in  its  vicinity  may  be 


ARTIFICIAL    LAKES.  193 

varied.  The  opposite  extreme,  liowever,  shjuld  be 
avoided ;  for  where  there  is  too  little  excavation,  the 
boundaries  of  the  lake  often  seem  too  feeble  for  the 
retention  of  its  contents,  and  the  effect  is  invariably 
tame.  As  a  general  rnle,  apparent  shallowness  should 
be  avoided  in  artificial  water. 

The  beauty  of  lakes  depends  greatly  on  their  out- 
line, and  this,  therefore,  is  an  object  of  indispensable 
attention.  When  they  are  formed  in  a  hollow,  the 
plane  of  tlieir  waters  naturally  assumes  an  outline 
corresponding  with  the  original  configuration  of  the 
ground,  and  this  outline  can  be  varied  and  improved 
only  by  the  formation  of  bays,  promontories  and  isl- 
ands ;  and  by  such  means  considerable  additional  effect 
may  often  be  produced.  If  the  site  is  on  level  ground, 
the  outline  may  be  varied  at  pleasure ;  any  form  may 
be  adopted.  It  maj^  be  either  broad,  bending,  or  wind- 
ing, as  the  general  character  of  the  park  or  the  extent 
of  the  lake  will  allow.  In  every  case,  however,  the  ar- 
tificial lake  should  present  breadth  rather  than  length. 
Variety  of  outline,  and  the  desirable  intricacy  of  effect, 
may  be  secured  by  the  means  above  alluded  to,  viz: 
by  bays,  and  promontories,  and  islands.  Care,  how- 
ev{.  r,  must  be  taken  that  the  projecting  masses  do  not 
obs  "Aire  or  destroy  the  breadth  of  surface,  as  is  too 
often  the  case  with  small  pieces  of  water.  In  some 
instances,  what  is  intended  for  a  lake  dwindles  down 
into  a  winding  canal,  or  palmated  pool  with  an  island 
stuck  into  it,  certainly  as  unlike  a  work  of  nature  as 
a  work  of  man  can  be. 

JV^ote. — It  is  the  sheerest  folly  to  attempt  water,  un- 
less some  volume  can  be  given  to  it.     All  attempts  to 
make  a  duck  pond  in  grounds  of  any  extent,  ai'e  little 
9 


194  PARKS    AND   PLEASUKE-GKOUNDS. 

better  than  contemptible.    The  dignity  of  fine  grounds 
should  never  be  marred  by  a  puddle. — Ed. 

Islands  should  be  irregular  both  in  their  outline  and 
contour,  and  small  rather  than  large.  They  are  more 
advantageousl}'  placed  near  the  sides  or  ends  than  in 
the  center  of  the  lake;  at  the  same  time  they  should 
not  have  the  appearance  of  being  separated  from  the 
main  land  only  by  a  narrow  canal.  Their  position 
should  be  determined  by  the  outline  of  the  lake  and 
surrounding  scenery ;  they  ought  never  to  be  numer- 
ous. Their  purpose  is  to  impart  variety  to  the  M'ater, 
and  to  obviate  any  apparent  baldness  in  the  banks,  or 
to  lessen  other  defects  which  cannot  be  removed  by 
planting.  Too  many  islands  give  an  artificial  sheet 
of  water  the  air  of  a  map  or  model. 

Note. — The  park  builder  can  not  too  strictly  heed 
these  instructions.  "We  have  seen  islands  put  into  ar- 
tificial water  which  the  owners  conceived  to  be  a  great 
achievement.  But  instead  of  things  of  beauty,  as  -in- 
tended, they  more  resembled  tussocs  of  grass  floating 
in  a  wash-tub. — Ed. 

The  Head,  as  it  is  usually  called  —  that  is,  the  em- 
bankment at  the  lower  end  of  the  lake  for  retaining 
the  water  —  is  generally  one  of  the  principal  diffii  ul- 
ties  in  the  construction.*  It  is  here  that  the  artificial 
character  of  the  lake  is  most  conspicuous,  and,  of 
course,  a  greater  effort  is  necessary  to  conceal  it. 
"When  the  head  can  be  so  formed  as  to  unite  with  the 
form  of  the  ground,  and  to  present  the  appearance  of 

*In  America  we  call  tins  the  "Dam."  Our  author  commits  a  genuine  "bull"  in 
calling  the  "lower  end"  of  an_v  thing  its  "head."  At  the  foot  of  the  lake  should  be 
the  dam,  or  embankment,  to  raise  the  water  to  its  proper  elevation ;  and  where  per- 
manency is  required,  the  strength  of  the  dam  can  not  be  too  thoroughly  secured,  par- 
ticularly if  the  stream  be  liable  to  sudden  floods.— Ed. 


ARTIPICIAL   LAKES.  195 

a  natural  obstruction,  the  success  of  the  designer  and 
executant  may  be  regarded  as  complete.  Pleads  of 
lakes,  as  usually  formed,  are  commonly  defective,  be- 
ing often  too  narrow;  or  when  broad,  of  too  little  ele- 
vation, and  are  frequently,  indeed,  simple  weirs  for 
confining  the  water.  When  the  lake  occupies  part  of 
a  small  valley,  the  head  may  be  formed  into  a  knoll 
or  two,  thrown  out  from,  but  connected  with,  one  of 
the  banks ;  and  the  issuing  stream  may  be  led  round 
the  knoll,  and  between  it  and  the  opposite  bank. 
When  the  locality  requires  a  lengthened  embankment, 
another  method  may  be  pursued.  A  broad  mound 
may  be  constructed,  either  level  or  convex,  with  the 
water  flowing  through  it,  or  following  the  course  of 
a  small,  winding  valley,  scooped  out  at  either  end.  In 
this  case,  the  face  of  the  raised  platform  toward  the 
lake  may  be  formed  into  a  series  of  terraces  of  par- 
allel levels;  and  if  these  terraces  are  carried  down  the 
small  valley  and  repeated  in  some  of  the  adjacent 
bays,  an  impression  will  be  suggested  that  the  lake 
is  not  an  artificial  creation,  but  that  the  rivulet  has 
worked  its  way  through  the  opposing  bank,  and  left 
the  water  to  form  a  new  shore  at  a  lower  level.  If 
the  materials  do  not  suffice  to  form  a  broad  platform, 
either  level  or  raised,  a  combination  of  the  two  forms 
may  be  employed,  on  a  narrower  base,  by  having  a 
level  next  the  water,  and  a  raised  bank  for  planting 
on  the  outside.  In  speaking  of  the  heads  of  artificial 
lakes,  we  have  described  only  the  projecting  knoll  and 
the  broad  platform.  Natural  examples  of  these  may 
be  seen  in  the  lakes  of  hilly  and  undulating  districts ; 
they  are  easily  imitated,  and  their  imitations,  if  at  all 
successful,  have  much  less  the  appearance  of  artifice 


196  PARKS    AND    PLEASrEE-GROHNDS. 

than  tlie  ridges  of  earth  commonly  employed  for  this 
purpose.  To  these  might  be  added  the  rocky  barrier 
and  rugged  outlet  of  a  mountain  lake ;  but  as  being 
at  once  extremely  difficult  to  execute,  and  often  in 
questionable  taste,  we  do  not  venture  to  recommend 
them.  It  is  a  good  principle,  however,  to  look  earn- 
estly at  nature  when  we  are  imitating  its  works.  The 
outline  of  the  head  toward  the  lake,  admits  of  some 
variety  of  configuration.  Where  the  broad  platform 
is  adopted,  its  edge  may  be  in  part  a  straight  line, 
with  curves  toward  the  water  at  the  ends ;  or,  when 
the  knoll  is  selected,  a  promontory  may  be  drawn  out 
into  the  water,  with  unequal  bays  at  each  side.  The 
surplus  water,  instead  of  issuing  through  a  paved 
overflow  or  sluice,  should  rather  be  conveyed  in  a 
winding  stream,  flowing  from  a  bay  at  one  end  of  the 
head;  in  this  case,  the  small  vallej^  forming  the  outlet 
should,  if  possible,  be  so  excavated  as  to  place  the  bed 
of  the  stream  on  the  solid  ground,  not  on  the  embank- 
ment,  an  arrangement  conducive  at  once  to  stability 
and  ornament.  If  a  sluice  is  indispensable,  it  should 
be  in  connection  Avith  a  culvert. 

When  success  has  been  attained  in  the  form  and 
outline  of  an  artificial  lake,  much  still  requires  to  be 
done  in  the  way  of  decorative  accompaniments.  Wa- 
ter without  wood  will  be  destitute  of  that  living  grace 
which  trees  and  shrubs  can  alone  impart;  and  it  will 
want,  also,  much  of  that  varied  reflection  of  light  and 
shade,  and  of  form  and  color,  which  adds  so  much 
charm  and  interest  to  woodland  lakes.  Trees,  how- 
ever, are  not  to  be  dotted  over  the  banks.  They  should 
rather  be  combined  into  strong  masses,  at  some  places 
approaching  the  water's  edge,  at  others  receding,  and 


ARTIFICIAL   LAKES.  197 

dispersed  in  irregular  groups,  as  the  surface  of  the 
ground  may  suggest.  The  embankments,  when  defi- 
cient in  form,  should  be  covered  with  masses  of  wood. 
At  the  same  time,  it  is  injudicious  to  overload  the 
scene  with  trees  and  shrubs.  A  light  and  graceful 
efifect  should  be  aimed  at  in  certain  positions,  and  a 
depth  of  shade  in  others.  The  pleasure-grounds  and 
woods  afibrd  more  suitable  situations  for  highly  orna- 
mented pieces  of  water  than  the  pasture-grounds  in 
the  park,  as  the  latter  are  generally  too  unclothed  for 
this  purpose.  Islands  should  not  be  over-thickly 
planted,  as  they  commonly  are.  When  the  trees  are 
sparse,  they  are  more  varied  in  their  form,  and  fall 
into  better  groups.  A  green  bank  or  piece  of  level 
lawn,  seen  from  the  neighboring  shore,  are  agreeable 
features  in  an  island.  To  lake  scenery,  a  boat-house 
and  pier,  and  palings  running  into  the  water  to  pre- 
vent deer  and  cattle  from  entering  the  reserved  inclo- 
sures,  and  aquatic  birds  and  plants,  add  a  pleasing 
diversity. 

Note. — The  construction  of  lakes  —  ponds,  as  such 
small  bodies  of  water  are  less  euphoniously  called  by 
us  —  is  rather  a  delicate  matter  with  park  builders. 
Unless  the  circumstances  and  features  of  the  adjoin- 
ing grounds  are  favorably  disposed,  their  exceedingly 
artificial  look  detracts  from  the  effect  they  should  pro- 
duce. A  sheet  or  stream  of  water  should,  of  all  things, 
look  natural. — Ed. 

To  be  properly  seen,  the  lake  requires  to  be  ap- 
proached by  walks,  especially  in  the  pleasure-grounds. 
It  is  seldom  advisable,  however,  to  carry  the  walks 
quite  round  it.  They  should  rather  be  directed  to  the 
points  fi'om  which  the  finest  views  are  seen.     In  this 


198  PAEKS  AND   PLEASTJRE-GKOUNDS. 

respect  the  head  is  generally  important,  for  though  it 
may  not  be  the  finest  in  itself,  it  often  affords  j^ositions 
which  exhibit  other  portions  of  the  lake  to  greatest 
advantage.  If,  then,  the  head  has  been  formed  as 
above  recommended,  a  walk  may  be  led  across  it, 
keeping,  however,  on  that  side  of  the  platform  which 
is  next  the  water.  In  no  case  should  the  walk  pass 
close  round  the  back  of  the  embankment,  as  the  de- 
scent from  and  subsequent  ascent  to  the  level  of  the 
lake,  will  undoubtedly  proclaim  to  every  one  its  artifi- 
cial character.  Such  a  cross-walk,  if  absolutely  neces- 
sary, should  always  run  at  some  considerable  distance 
below,  and  through  ground  from  which  the  head  of 
the  lake  is  masked  by  trees.  Where  more  than  one 
lake  are  formed  in  close  proximity  to  each  other,  good 
taste  will  dictate  that  only  one  of  these  should  be  seen 
at  the  same  time  from  the  approach,  if  it  passes  near 
their  points  of  separation. 

Note. — Our  author  has  treated  this  subject  with 
good  judgment,  and  in  excellent  taste.  Perhaps  there 
is  no  feature  of  the  park  or  pleasure-ground  more  mis- 
managed, where  it  can  be  made  available,  than  water. 
Better  let  it  alone  altogether  than  to  fail  in  makiug  it 
a  graceful  and  attractive  object  in  the  picture.  A 
slieet  of  water,  in  our  climate,  should  be  deep  and 
pure;  otherwise  it  is  little  better  than  a  nuisance, 
breeding  noxious  insects  and  reptiles. — Ed. 

Artificial  Rivers  are  sometimes  formed  in  parks 
and  pleasure-grounds,  but  seldom  with  happy  effect. 
They  want  the  progression  and  the  continuance  which 
are  leading  characteristics  of  natural  rivers.  The 
rivulets  or  streams  which  it  is  desired  to  elevate  to 
the  form  of  rivers,  do  not  supply  sufficient  water  to 


JET   FOUNTAINS,  199 

sustain  the  character  aimed  at;  or  if  the  breadtli  is  in- 
creased to  ai^brd  an  adequate  expanse,  the  movement 
of  the  water  disappears,  and'  the  result  is  only  a  stag- 
nant canal  or  an  elongated  pool.  It  is  certainly  bet- 
ter to  leave  the  stream  in  its  natural  state;  or,  if 
breadth  of  water  is  an  object,  to  adopt  the  recom- 
mendation of  Sir  Uvedale  Price,  viz:  to  spread  it  out 
into  a  small  lake,  or  chain  of  lakes,  with  the  stream 
flowing  through  them. 

Jet  Fountains  are  more  easily  introduced  into 
dressed  grounds  than  any  other  kind  of  ornamental 
water,  at  least  where  there  is  an  adequate  supply,  and 
at  a  sufficient  altitude  in  the  source,  M'ithin  a  moderate 
distance.  Their  effects  are  also  more  immediate,  as 
they  do  not  greatly  depend  on  the  growth  of  trees  and 
shrubs,  or  other  progressive  improvements. 

We  believe  that  few  objects  can  be  itsed  for  the 
decoration  of  terraces  and  flower-gardens  w-hich  are 
more  generally  pleasing  than  a  well-arranged  archi- 
tectural fountain  in  full  play.  Such  fountains  should 
occupy  conspicuous  places  in  these  localities ;  as,  for 
example,  the  crossing  of  leading  walks,  or  the  center 
of  a  group  of  flower-beds.  They  are  pleasing  spec- 
tacles in  themselves,  but  they  always  yield  the  most 
brilliant  effect  wdien  surrounded  with  fine  flowers  and 
shrubs  or  trees. 

A  fountain,  whether  in  full  play  or  entirely  idle, 
may  assume  an  intrinsic  interest  from  the  beauty  of 
its  design.  When  placed  in  the  vicinity  of  the  man- 
sion-house, it  should  harmonize  with  the  general  style 
of  the  building,  or,  at  least,  should  exhibit  no  marked 
contrariety  of  character.  In  detached  floAver-gardens 
the  style  of  the  fountain  is  of  less  importance ;  still, 


200  PAKKS    AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

even  there  it  should  liave  some  accordance  with  the 
expression  of  surrounding  objects.  Fountains  are  gen- 
erally made  of  stone  or  iron.  The  former  material 
seems  preferable ;  but  where  light  and  ianciful  shapes 
are  wanted,  iron  or  even  glass  may  be  employed. 

Jets  d'Eau  are  jet  fountains  on  a  large  scale.  In 
this  country  they  are  seldom  seen  in  any  other  form 
than  that  of  the  nozzle  of  a  strong  pipe  in  the  center 
of  a  pond,  throwing  up  a  thick  column  of  water  to  a 
considerable  height.  They  are  generality  too  large  for 
terraces  or  flower-gardens.  They  may  be  introduced 
into  some  of  the  principal  lawns  in  sight  of  the  house, 
and  in  such  situations,  especially  when  partially  backed 
or  encompassed  with  trees,  they  are  extremely  brilliant 
and  effective.  It  must  be  owned  that  there  is  seldom 
a  supply  of  water  copious  enough  to  maintain  such 
water-works  in  continuous  action. 

Besides  the  power  of  introducing  artificial  water 
into  a  park  or  pleasure-ground,  the  ])ro])riety  of  so 
introducing  it  remains  to  be  determined,  and  that  is  a 
matter  sometimes  requiring  to  be  carefully  weighed 
and  considered.  There  are  certain  cases  in  which 
such  attempts  approach  to  manifest  absurdity.  It  is 
possible,  for  example,  to  conceive  a  limited  j^lace  with 
a  mansion-house  beautifully  seated  on  an  eminence, 
from  which  the  ground  slopes  on  at  least  three  sides, 
and  the  whole  of  the  kept  grounds  might  be  on  these 
slopes.  "Water  might  undoubtedly  be  brought  from 
the  fourth  side,  and  a  fountain  or  two  might  be  per- 
fectly admissible,  or  even  desirable ;  but  certainly  an 
artificial  lake  or  river,  or  even  pond,  on  the  slopes, 
could  be  nothing  less  than  ridiculous.    It  is,  if  possible, 


JET   FOUNTAINS.  201 

still  more  questionable  taste  to  elaborate  artificial 
sheets  of  water  in  sight  of  the  sea,  a  fine  inland  lake, 
or  navigable  river.  In  these  cases,  the  grand  of  na- 
ture invariably  overpowers  the  puny  efibrts  of  art. 
We  can  not  help  associating  the  same  feelings  with 
jets  d'eau;  they  do  not  harmonize  at  all  with  marine, 
and  scarcely  with  lake  scenery.  If  they  must  be  intro- 
duced into  such  localities,  let  them  be  so  placed  that 
there  may  be  no  apparent  competition  between  the 
tiny  murmurs  of  their  falling  waters  and  the  hoarser 
surge  of  the  shore.  In  ordinary  weather,  there  is  as 
much  spray  from  the  curl  of  a  wave  over  a  small  rock 
or  considerable  stone  as  from  the  finest  fountain  or 
jet  Wean.  A  young  friend,  who  had  recently  inspected 
a  water-power  of  this  description  playing  in  a  flower- 
garden  near  the  sea,  favored  us  with  the  following 
lines  descriptive  of  such  artistic  efforts : 

Old  Father  Oceau  merely  smiled, 
To  see  tliis  puny,  eartli-boru  cliild 
Send  up  its  liny  stream  of  spray, 
To  spurt  and  splutter  for  a  day. 

J^ifote. — Jet  fountains,  and  Jets  d'Eau,  we  consider 
beneath  the  simple  dignity  of  the  park,  or  the  exten- 
sive pleasure-ground.  They  are  so  entirely  artificial 
in  their  character,  and  useless  during  our  frosty  months, 
that  they  may  be  classed  with  Spanish  and  Italian  ar- 
chitecture, out-of-door  statuary,  and  peacocks — from 
which,  in  fact,  they  should  seldom  be  separated-. 
Fountains  and  jets  d'eau  are  sometimes  desirable, 
and  may  be  constructed  with  good  effect  under  invit 
ing  circumstances.  They  are  exceedingly  troublesome 
to  keep  in  repair,  where  heavy  winter  frosts  prevail. 
9* 


202  PAKKS    AND    PLEASUKE-GROU^'DS. 

Having  indulged,  for  some  years,  in  the  play  of  a  jet 
fountain  in  our  own  grounds,  we  know  somewhat  of 
this  item  belonging  to  it.  Most  of  the  statuesque  im- 
agery through  which  the  fountains  play  in  American 
grounds,  is  little  short  of  monstrosity,  or  caricature. 
Instead  of  a  deformed  and  unhappy  looking  piece  of 
sculpture  in  the  similitude  of  swan,  goose,  or  other 
water-fowl ;  a  dolphin,  mermaid,  or  any  piscatorial 
design  ;  or  even  a  classic  imitation  of  any  sort  of  hu- 
manity, through  a  distorted  limb  or  feature  of  which 
the  water  may  play,  let  the  fabrication  be  some  neat 
pattern  of  mechanic  art  in  the  way  of  iron  or  stone. 
Various  models  of  these  may  be  found  in  the  shops 
of  our  principal  cities,  wdiich  are  becoming  and  grace- 
ful ornaments. — Ed. 


GARDENS.  208 


CHAPTER    IX. 

THE  KITCHEN,  FRUIT,  AND  FORCING  GARDENS. 

Introduction  —  The  Site  —  Drainage  —  Soil  —The  Form  —The  Walls  — 
The  Fruit  Garden  —  The  Forcing  Garden. 

Gardens  intended  for  the  production  of  fruit  and 
culinary  vegetables  belong  to  the  subject  of  horticul- 
ture, and  therefore,  in  their  full  extent,  do  not  come 
within  the  scope  of  this  work.  Their  formation,  as 
well  as  their  culture,  must  be  regulated  by  principles 
and  methods  specially  belonging  to  them.  They  are, 
however,  objects  within  the  park,  and  bear  certain  re- 
lations to  its  component  parts.  If  these  relations  are 
altogether  neglected,  the  beauty  of  the  surrounding 
scenery  may  be  materially  alFected ;  and  if  they  are 
exclusively  attended  to,  the  value  of  these  gardens,  in 
their  proper  character,  may  be  greatly  diminished. 
In  laying  out  a  country  residence,  a  careful  adjust- 
ment must  be  made  between  these  competing  claims. 
To  aid  these  sometimes  difficult  arrangements,  we 
propose  in  this  cliapter  to  offer  some  general  obser- 
vations, without  entering  into  lengthened  or  minute 
details. 

The  kitchen,  fruit,  and  forcing  gardens  are  gener- 
ally so  connected,  and  often  so  intermingled,  as  to 
form  one  establishment,  and  there  is  in  them  such  a 
community  of  objects  and   operations  as  to  warrant 


204  PARKS    AND   PLEASrEE-GROUNDS. 

this  union.  In  some  cases,  too.  borders  of  flowers  and 
of  ornamental  plants  enter  into  the  combination,  and 
then  they  form  what  may  be  called  mixed  gardens. 
These  mixed  gardens  are  certainly  finer  than  mere 
vegetable  grounds,  and  they  require  a  superior  style 
of  keeping;  but  when  this  system  of  combination  is 
carried  so  far  as  to  supersede  the  flower-garden  proper, 
we  think  it  greatly  to  be  deprecated.  In  England  the 
mixed  garden  is  of  rarer  occurrence  than  in  Scotland. 
In  the  latter  country  we  not  unfrequently  meet  with 
extensive  parks  in  whicb  there  is  no  separate  flower- 
garden,  and  where  all  the  departments  of  both  horti- 
culture and  floriculture  are  jumbled  together  with 
much  confusion.  Undoubtedly  a  greater  amount  of 
ornamental  eflect  results,  but  considerably  less  expense 
is  incurred  in  keeping,  when  the  last  is  wholly  sepa- 
rated, or  when,  at  most,  the  fruit  and  kitchen-gardens 
only  are  placed  together.  In  the  following  remarks, 
we  shall  not  advert  further  to  the  mixed  garden,  but 
shall  confine  our  observations  to  those  grounds  which 
are  exclusively  fitted  and  intended  to  yield  a  supply 
of  fruit  and  vegetables  —  a  matter  of  no  small  impor- 
tance to  a  family  residing  in  the  country. 

giTE. — The  primary  consideration  in  reference  to 
these  gardens  is  their  site,  and  more  particularly  its 
position  in  relation  to  the  other  parts  of  the  park  and 
grounds.  Their  unpicturesque  appearance  is  such  as 
to  require  that  they  should  be  screened,  if  not  entirely 
hid,  from  the  main  points  of  view  in  the  surrounding 
park,  otherwise  they  prove  detrimental  to  the  general 
scenery.  Certainly  they  should  not  be  visible  from 
the  principal  approach,  nor  from  the  windows  of  the 
mansion-house.     In  ordinary  circumstances  it  is  not 


SITE.  205 

expedient  to  remove  them  to  too  great  a  distance  from 
the  house,  neither  sliould  they  be  placed  altogether 
in  its  immediate  vicinity.  Perhaps  the  most  desirable 
position  is  one  in  a  secluded  part  of  the  pleasure- 
grounds,  where  they  can  be  set  down  in  connection 
with  each  other,  and  where  their  walks  can  enter 
readily  into  the  main  system  of  communication  run- 
ning throughout  the  place.  In  a  localit}^  of  thib  de- 
scription, their  w^alls  and  other  buildings  can  be  most 
effectually  shrouded,  and  on  that  account  the  general 
scenery  will  be  least  impaired.  AVhen  the  stables  are 
detached  from  the  mansion-house,  the  fruit  and  kitchen 
gardens  may  be  placed  near  them,  with  advantage  to 
the  general  arrangements  of  the  place,  as  the  same 
back-roads  will  serve  for  both,  and  facility  of  access 
will  thus  be  increased. 

In  parks  in  which  there  are  considerable  eminences 
or  ridges,  the  gardens  in  question  are  not  unfrequently 
placed  at  the  base  of  one  or  other  of  these,  for  the 
sake  of  shelter.  Before  adopting  such  a  site  however, 
the  designer  will  do  well  to  study  the  effect  of  that 
arrangement  as  viewed  from  the  neighboring  heights. 
There  is  scarcely  any  thing  less  pleasing  than  a  square, 
box-like  inclosure  when  seen  from  an  eminence  at  a 
moderate  distance.  Of  course  there  need  be  no  hesi- 
tation when  the  heights  are  not  traversed  by  any  of 
the  principal  walks  or  rides ;  for  on  uneven  surfaces 
it  is  impossible  to  avoid  all  unpleasing  effects  from 
every  point  of  the  park.  At  the  same  time  it  should 
be  ascertained  that  the  expectation  of  shelter  from  the 
situations  to  which  we  have  alluded  is  not  lallacious. 
Eising  grounds  sometimes  cause  a  repercussion  of  the 
aerial  currents,  or  so  direct  their  movements  as  to 


206  PARKS   AND   PLEASURE-GEOUNDS. 

render  the  intermediate  valleys  as  little  protected  as  a 
more  open  and  apparently  less  protected  position. 

And  it  is  needful  to  remark  that  the  beantiful  or 
the  picturesque  are  not  the  only  considerations  to  be 
taken  into  account,  in  selecting  a  proper  site  for  fruit 
and  kitchen-gardens.  These  desirable  properties  are 
more  than  counterbalanced  by  the  disadvantages  aris- 
ing from  a  cold  exposure  and  damp  soil,  which  un- 
failingly render  the  crops  of  fruit  and  vegetables  of 
inferior  quality.  The  site  to  be  sought  for,  and  to  be 
found  if  possible,  is  one  with  a  good  soil,  a  dry  subsoil, 
and  a  sunny  exposure,  sheltered  sufficiently,  but  not 
shaded.  The  ground  should  be  level,  or  rather,  per- 
haps, with  a  slight  declivity  toward  the  south.  A 
northern  exposure  should  be  avoided :  we  would  prefer 
even  a  considerable  declivity  to  the  south,  though  steep 
inclinations  require  more  labor  in  cultivation  than  level 
surfaces. 

A  certain  amount  of  shelter  is  indispensable  to  a 
good  garden;  and  where  this  is  not  to  be  had,  sites  in 
other  respects  favorable  are  to  be  avoided.  _  Some 
natural  protection  should  be  sought  for,  particularly 
when  the  place  is  destitute  of  old  plantations.  Shelter 
may  certainly  be  obtained  by  judicious  planting ;  but 
it  is  to  be  remembered  that  in  exposed  situations 
fifteen  or  twenty  years  may  elapse  before  it  becomes 
effective. 

The  Drainage  of  a  garden  should  be  perfect — cer- 
tainlv  at  least  not  inferior  to  that  thorough  drainins: 
now  employed  for  agricultural  j)urposes.  To  most 
horticultural  operations  a  comjDletely  drained  and 
therefore  warm  soil  is  essential :  damp  ground  yields 
only  inferior  vegetables,  and  supports  only  diseased, 


DRAINAGE.  207 

sbovt-lived,  and  unproductive  trees,  bearing  ill-favored 
fruit  —  a  state  of  matters,  however,  not  unfrequently 
seen  in  gardens  of  considerable  pretensions,  though 
surrounded  by  well-drained  fields.  Why  such  evident 
negligence  should  be  permitted  or  overlooked,  it  is  hard 
to  say. 

JVote. — In  relation  to  thorough  drainage  of  spongy, 
springy,  or  dishing  lands,  Americans  have  almost 
every  thing  to  learn.  The  tile-draining  system  of 
Great  Britain  has  lately  been  introduced  into  America 
with  marked  effect.  Agricultural  lands  have  been 
doubled  in  their  productive  value  by  the  simple  and 
comparatively  cheap  process  of  draining ;  and  no  gar- 
den, orchard,  or  ornamental  grounds  requiring  it,  can 
give  satisfaction  so  long  as  drainage  is  necessary. 
We  commend  this  subject  particularly  to  all  those 
whose  grounds  are  not  entirely  free  from  superabun- 
dant moisture. — Ed. 

Soil. — It  has  been  said  above  that  the  soil  of  a 
garden  should  be  naturally  good ;  perhaps,  however, 
this  property,  which  is  by  no  means  unimportant, 
should  g've  way  when  necessary  to  the  considerations 
formerly  adverted  to,  and  to  a  desirable  position  in 
tne  park.  There  are  few  situations  in  which  good 
soils  can  not  be  formed  by  artificial  means  ;  but  there 
are  some  subsoils  which  can  not  be  sufiiciently  dried 
and  warmed  by  any  amount  of  drainage ;  and  there 
are  sometimes  good  soils  whose  accompanying  disad- 
vantages in  site  and  position  can  scarcely  be  remedied 
or  modified  by  any  expedient.  Gardens  on  such  im- 
tractable  sites  may  be  seen  on  the  level  grounds  by 
the  sides  of  lakes  or  streams.  In  these  the  soil  may 
be  excellent,  while  the   subsoil   is  incurably  damp. 


208  PARKS    AXD    PLEASUKE-GK0UND8. 

There  the  late  spring  and  early  autumn  frosts  prevail 
to  a  greater  extent  than  on  the  adjacent  high  grounds, 
and  these  may  baffle  the  best  directed  elibrts  of  the 
gardener.  The  crops  of  early  vegetables  are  retarded, 
the  blossom  of  the  fruit-trees  is  often  destroyed,  or, 
when  it  escapes,  it  is  followed  by  deformed  and  ill- 
ripened  fruit.  The  proprietor  of  a  garden,  formed  at 
considerable  expense,  is  left  with  a  deficient  supply, 
and  is  mortified  by  the  comparative  abundance  en- 
joyed by  his  neighbors,  who  have  been  more  fortunate 
in  the  choice  of  a  site.  A  good,  sound,  loamy  soil  is 
the  most  useful  for  general  purposes.  But  if  an  arti- 
ficial soil  is  to  be  formed,  it  will  be  found  useful  to 
have  some  variety  —  one  compartment,  for  example, 
being  composed  of  light  sandy  earth,  and  another 
of  strong  loam.  Peaty  and  clayey  soils  are  objection- 
able :  the  former  are  feeble  and  cold  ;  the  latter,  though 
productive,  are  late,  with  a  damp,  uncomfortable  look, 
and  require  additional  labor. 

Form. — ^The  form  of  the  kitchen-garden,  and  the 
consequent  arrangement  of  the  walls  which  surround 
it,  are  usually  determined  by  the  nature  of  the  ground, 
and  by  the  extent  of  space  inclosed.  On  all  surfaces 
not  deviating  much  from  a  level,  the  favorite  configu- 
ration is  a  rectangular  one,  either  a  square  or  a  paral- 
lelogram ;  and  in  these  forms  the  grounds  can  be  laid 
out  to  the  greatest  advantage,  with  fewer  walks,  and 
with  compartments  most  suitable  to  the  culture  of  vege- 
tables and  the  arrangement  of  fruit-trees.  A  number 
of  other  forms  have  been  occasionally  adopted,  but 
without  apparent  benefit.  For  example,  in  order  to 
diminish  the  expense  incurred  in  erecting  the  walls, 
some  have  chosen  the  form  of  an  octagon,  or  other 


FORM.  209 

polygon  more  nearly  approaching  the  circle,  it  being 
well  known  that  the  circle  contains  the  greatest  space 
within  the  smallest  perimeter.  Among  practical 
men  there  is  an  impression,  which  is  probably  well 
founded,  that  walls  of  a  circular,  or  polygonal  config- 
uration are  more  frequently  and  injuriously  swept 
along  by  winds  than  those  of  the  ordinary  rectangular 
forms.  Every  ardent  horticulturist  wishes  to  have 
as  much  wall  as  possible  with  a  southern  aspect.  In- 
deed, such  is  the  superiority  of  climate  on  these  walls, 
that  it  is  somewhat  surprising  that  they  are  not  more 
frequently  multiplied  by  being  built  in  the  interior  of 
gardens,  running  from  east  to  west,  as  in  the  peach- 
gardens  in  France.  The  massive,  and  therefore  expen- 
sive, style  in  which  garden  walls  are  commonly  built 
in  this  country  probably  accounts  for  the  neglect  of  so 
obvious  an  advantage.  We  would  nevertheless  recom- 
mend such  intersectional  walls  of  moderate  height  and 
slio-ht  construction  to  those  who  have  a  taste  for  fine 
fruit,  and  who  are  forming  gardens  on  surfaces  with 
a  considerable  slope  toward  the  south. 

The  additional  warmth  afforded  by  Avails  is  a  matter 
of  great  importance,  and  is  therefore  generally  taken 
into  account,  and  is  allowed  due  weight  in  regulating 
the  form  of  gardens.  The  finer  kinds  of  fruit-trees 
grown  in  the  open  air,  and  cultivated  in  the  United 
Kingdom,  require  all  the  protection  and  aid  which  walls 
afford  to  trees  trained  on  them,  in  order  properly  to 
mature  their  fruit.  The  position  of  walls  has  a  mate- 
rial effect  on  the  climate:  that  is  the  best  in  which  the 
line  of  the  wall  is  at  right  angles  to  the  meridian  of 
the  place,  giving  one  of  the  sides  a  directly  south 
aspect,  though,  to  suit  the  ground,  one  a  few  degrees 


210  PARKS    AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

east  or  west  may  be  adopted  without  any  appreciable 
difference  in  the  warmth.  The  walls  running  south 
and  north,  or  parallel  to  the  meridian,  and  facing  to 
the  east  and  west,  afford  secondary  climates  ;  and  walls 
in  the  intermediate  directions  have  climates  varying 
in  excellence  according  as  they  approach  to  or  diverge 
from  the  south.  In  the  southern  part5  of  the  kingdom, 
where  the  climate  is  fine,  this  subject  is  of  less  impor- 
tance than  in  the  middle  and  northern  districts.  Even 
the  difterence  of  a  single  degree  of  latitude  has  a  no- 
ticeable effect.  In  the  neighborhood  of  London,  in 
latitude  51  deg.  30  min.,  peaches  ripen  on  a  south-east 
aspect;  while  at  Edinburgh,  latitude  56  deg.,  they 
require  a  south  wall,  a  fine  season,  and  other  favorable 
circumstances,  to  arrive  at  maturity.  When  a  large 
extent  of  wall,  with  a  first-rate  climate,  is  wanted,  a 
parallelogram,  with  its  longer  sides  facing  toward  the 
south,  should  be  adopted,  and  the  southern  aspect  of 
the  south  wall  should  be  made  available  by  means  of 
a  piece  of  inclosed  ground  in  front  of  it :  when  this 
is  not  an  object  of  much  consequence,  a  square,  or 
some  other  more  varied  form,  may  be  selected. 

Note. — The  American  reader  will  perceive  that 
walls,  as  here  discussed,  are  but  of  minor  importance 
in  the  more  propitious  climate  which  he  enjoys  for 
garden  cultivation,  as  compared  with  that  of  Great 
Britain. — Ed, 

The  Walls. — ^The  height  of  the  walls  should  have 
some  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  garden.  They  may 
vary  from  eight  to  sixteen  feet:  below  or  above  these 
heights  they  are  neither  convenient  nor  useful.  For 
these  walls,  well-made  and  well-burnt  bricks  are  cer- 
tainly the  best  materials,  being  most  kindly  to  the 


THE    WALLS.  211 

growth  of  trees,  and  affording  the  greatest  facilities 
for  training  them.    We  liave  often,  however,  had  walls 
erected  in  whole  or  in  great  part  of  stones ;  and  when 
the  stones  were  good,  and  kept  down  to  a  proper  size, 
we  have  found  the  walls  little  inferior  to  those  com- 
posed of  brick.     In  good  gardens  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  best  walls  should  be  constructed  with  flues 
and  furnaces,  so  that  they  may  be  artificially  heated  in 
spring  and  autumn  —  in  spring  to  protect  the  blossom, 
and  in  autumn  to  aid  in  maturing  the  fruit,  and  what 
is  perhaps  of  equal  importance,  to   ripen   the  fruit- 
bearing  wood  for  the  following  year.     We  may  add, 
though  the  remark  perhaps  belongs  to  practical  horti- 
culture, that  in  autumn  artificial-heat  is  often  applied 
only  during  the  night.     This  is  improper ;  for  light,  a 
main  agent  in  perfecting  vegetable  life,  is  then  absent. 
When  the  fire-heat  is  employed  during  the  day,  it  co- 
operates with  the  solar  heat  and  light  in  the  elaboration 
of  the  juices  of  the  fruit  and  foliage,  and  its  action 
may  be  equivalent  to  the  reduction  of  several  degrees 
from  the  latitude  of  the  place.    Good  flues,  with  proper 
furnaces  attached,  have  been  found  to  be  superior  to 
hot-water  pipes  as  means    of   heating   walls.     These 
pipes,  when   placed  within  internal  cavities,  unless 
they  be  very  numerous,  and  their  sides  extremely  thin, 
emit  a  heat  too  feeble  to  produce  an  appreciable  effect 
on  a  large  surface  of  wall. 

]<fotc. — The  above  paragraph  is  of  no  account  in  our 
American  climate. — Ed. 

The  Fruit  Garden. — This  department  is  so  fre- 
quently and  so  properly  united  to  the  kitchen-garden 
that  it  scarcely  requires  a  separate  notice.  The  site 
and  soil  which  suit  the  one  will  generally  be  found 


212  PAE.K8    AND   PLEASUEE-GKOUXDS. 

appropriate  to  the  other.  When  orchards  are  planted 
apart  from  the  Idtchen-gardens,  [and  th.ey  should  be 
so  planted  —  apart  from  the  kitchen-gardens  —  Ed.] 
a  M'arm,  dry,  and  sheltered  locality  should  be  selected 
for  them.  In  the  more  northern  or  midland  districts, 
the  outer  sloping  banks  —  but  not  the  kn'el  holms  —  on 
the  sides  of  rivers,  are  found  to  be  singularly  propi- 
tious to  the  growth  of  hardy  fruit-trees.  Orchards, 
when  not  very  artificially  planted,  and  when  furnished 
with  proper  accompaniments,  may  be  made  to  har- 
monize well  with  the  general  scenery  of  the  park  and 
pleasure-grounds. 

Note. — Still,  orchards  are  better  by  themselves,  in 
their  own  proper  inclosures. — Ed. 

The  Forcing-garden. —  Fruit  and  vegetables  are 
said  to  ho,  forced  when  their  growth  is  accelerated  and 
their  maturity  perfected  by  means  of  glass  and  artifi- 
cial heat.  The  forcing-garden,  then,  requires  a  number 
of  glazed  houses  or  other  structures  of  more  or  less 
complicated  construction.  It  is  usually  mixed  up  with 
the  kitchen-garden,  or  what  is  better,  pai-tly  attached 
to  it  in  a  sejjarate  compartment.  The  vineries,  peach- 
houses,  pine-stoves,  and  occasionally  a  green-house,  are 
commonly  placed  on  the  south  side  of  the  north  wall 
of  the  kitchen-garden,  while  the  faraaces,  sheds,  and 
other  necessary  offices  occupy  the  north  side  of  the 
name  wall.  In  such  cases,  when  the  nature  of  the 
ground  permits,  the  pine-pits,  melon-pits,  and  other 
minor  forcing  structures,  should  be  arranged  in  an  in- 
closed space  behind  the  above,  but  at  such  a  distance 
as  to  prevent  their  being  shaded  during  winter  by  the 
buildings  in  front.-  This  is  perhaps  the  best  arrange- 
ment, as  it  keeps  the  whole  forcing-garden  together, 


THE    FORCING-GARDEN.  213 

and  enables  the  work  to  be  more  speedily  carried  on. 
Where  it  cannot  be  so  arranged,  it  should  be  formed 
at  one  end  or  side  of  the  kitchen-garden,  in  the  posi- 
tion most  iitted  to  facilitate  the  various  necessary 
operations. 

A  general  range  of  forcing-houses  may  be  formed  so 
as  to  have  an  imposing  and  ornamental  effect;  but 
when  these  are  placed  in  the  kitchen-garden,  the  latter 
must  be  so  arranged  as  in  some  degree  to  correspond 
■with  them.  When  they  are  above  the  character  of 
mere  forcing-houses,  and  particularly  when  plant-houses 
form  a  portion  of  the  range,  they  should  be  erected, 
not  in  the  kitchen-garden,  but  in  some  neighboring 
portion  of  the  ornamental  grounds,  such  as  a  small 
flower-garden  or  in  a  section  of  the  lawns.  In  this 
way  a  good  transitionary  link  can  be  established  be- 
tween the  kitchen-gardens  and  the  pleasure-grounds. 
Care,  however,  must  be  taken  to  prevent  the  smoking 
chimneys  from  becoming  offensively  visible,  and  to 
screen  and  inclose  the  necessary  sheds  and  roads  lead- 
ing to  them  —  objects  frequently  not  easy  to  be  secured 
in  detached  situations.  Our  purpose  in  this  volume 
does  not  lead  us  to  enter  into  detailed  statements  in 
regard  to  the  erection  of  forcing  or  plant-houses,  and 
to  the  methods  of  heating  them.  On  these  subjects 
we  may  refer  our  readers  for  information  to  any  of  the 
recent  works  which  treat  professedly  on  horticulture, 
such  as  Loudon's  "  Encyclopaedia  of  Gardening,"  or  to 
the  article  on  Horticulture  in  the  "  Encyclopaedia  Bri- 
tannica,"  or  to  the  reprint  of  that  article  in  "Neill's 
Gardening."  The  latter,  which  we  are  permitted  by 
the  publishers  to  say  we  aided  in  getting  up,  particu- 
larly the  department  now  referred  to,  will  be  found 


214  PARKS    AND    PLEASURE-GROrNDS. 

useful  bj  gentlemen  acquiring  first  notions  on  the 
subject,  as  it  is  almost  wholly  tree  from  technical  de- 
tails. Since  these  works  were  published,  the  system 
of  roofing  glass-houses  by  small  glass  ridges  and  fur- 
rows has  been  greatly  improved  by  its  inventor.  Sir 
Joseph  Paxton,  and  employed  in  the  construction  of 
the  Crystal  Pakice.  which,  but  for  this  method  of  roof- 
ing, might  never  have  existed  in  its  universally  admired 
form.  In  our  practice  in  this  department  of  gardening, 
we  have  found  the  ridged  roof  to  be  admirably  adapted 
to  green-houses,  conservatories,  and  even  to  the  minor 
structures  emploj^ed  for  the  rearing  of  plants. 

Note. — The  "span  roof"  has  been  adopted  in  the 
United  States  within  the  last  five  years,  and  in  prac- 
tice, generally  approved.  Plant,  or  tree-houses  in  this 
style  have  a  showy  efiect  in  pleasure-grounds,  and 
where  not  interrupted  by  the  shade  of  adjacent  struc- 
tures or  trees,  are,  as  distinct  buildings,  perhaps  the 
best  and  most  economical.  For  graperies  they  possess 
some  advantages  over  the  lean-to  method  of  roofing, 
admitting  the  sun  from  rising  to  setting,  and  a  greater 
degree  of  light  than  the  others  will  attract.^ — Ed. 


THE   PUBLIC    PAEK.  215 


CHAPTER   X. 

PUBLIC  PARKS  AND  GARDENS. 

Sect.  I.     The  Public  Park  — Site  of  the  Public  Park  — Laying  out 

of  Public  Parks —  Educational  Institutions. 
Sect.  II.     Street  Gardens. 
Sect.  III.     Botanic  Gardens  —  Special  Purposes  of  Botanic  Gardens  — 

Botanical  Museum  —  Laying  out  of  the  Botanic  Gardens. 
Sect.  IV.   Gardens  belonging  to  Horticultural  and  Zoological  Societies  — 

Gardens  of   Horticultural  Societies — Laying  out  of   HorticulturJil 

Gardens  —  Horticultural  Museum  —  Zoological  Gardens. 

Sect.  I. — The  Public  Park. 

Public  Parks  are  large  inclosed  pieces  of  ground 
in  the  vicinity  of  cities  or  towns,  partly  covered  with 
trees  and  shrubs,  partly  consisting  of  pastures,  lawns, 
and  pleasure-grounds,  with  their  usual  decorations,  and 
provided  with  other  means  and  appliances  for  the 
recreation  and  amusement  of  the  inhabitants.  "We 
adopt  the  common  title,  Public  Park^  though  some 
recent  examples  seem  to  partake  as  much  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  pleasure-ground  as  of  the  park.  Their 
utility  and  importance  in  social  and  sanitary  points  of 
view  are  only  beginning  to  be  adequately  appreciated ; 
and  much  of  the  progress  which,  in  these  respects,  has 
been  made  is  due  to  the  exertions  of  the  late  Mr, 
Loudon,  who,  in  various  articles  in  the  "Gardeners' 
Magazine,"  was  the  first  to  draw  public  attention  to 
their  value.     In  these  papers,  conceived  in  a  most 


216  PARKS   AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

benevolent  spirit,  and  expressed  with  much  earnestness 
of  manner,  the  departed  artist  labored  to  show  that,  in 
the  public  park,  the  pale  mechanic  and  the  exhausted 
factory  operative  might  inhale  the  freshening  breeze 
and  some  portion  of  recovered  health  ;  the  busy  shop- 
keeper and  the  more  speculative  merchant  might  enjoy 
relaxation  and  bracing  exercise  in  temporary  seclusion 
from  their  toils  and  cares ;  and  that  the  family  troop, 
the  children  with  their  nurses,  or  the  sportive  juveniles 
in  the  company  of  their  staid  seniors  might  take  their 
walk  or  spend  their  play-time  apart  from  the  bustle  of 
the  streets,  and  secure  from  the  accidents  to  which,  in 
crowded  thoroughfares,  they  arc  necessarily  exposed. 
Without  doubt,  it  is  also  good  for  the  mental  health  of 
those  who  are  habituated  to  the  wear  and  tear  of  the 
busy  haunts  of  men  to  be  brought  face  to  face  with  the 
tranquilizing  as  well  as  suggestive  works  of  God  in  the 
world  of  nature.    It  is  well  that  all  who  are  capable  — 
and  we  can  not  tell  how  many  these  may  be  —  should 
have  an  opportunity  to  "reap  the  harvest  of  a  quiet 
eye"  in  scenes  which,  if  not  invested  with  all  the  wild- 
ness  of  the  rural  districts,  have  yet  as  much  of  the 
treasures  of  vegetable  forms  and  colors  as  are  accessi- 
ble to  the  inhabitants  of  cities  without  a  considerable 
expense  of  time  and  labor.     Certainly  the  resort  to 
such  places  of  recreation  is  very  great.     Looking  to 
the  metropolitan  parks  of  the  United  Kingdom,  we  find 
all  classes  of  the  community,  the  day-tasked  official, 
the  night-worn  senator,  the  slaves  of  business,  and  the 
votaries  of  fashion,  even  royalty  itself,  all   availing 
themselves  of  the  air  and  exercise,  and  scenes  of  gayety 
and  opportunities  of  social  intercourse  and  enjoyment 
which  these  much  frequented  places  aiiord.     Nor  is  it 


THE    rUBLIU    PARK.  217 

to  be  overlooked  that  the  })ublic  parks,  find  even  the 
smaller  gardens  in  sqnnrcri  :ii)(l  streets,  are  fitted,  if 
skillfully  distributed,  to  lesson  th.?  condensation  of  our 
large  cities,  to  extend  tlieir  crovrding  ])uilding3  over  a 
wider  surface,  to  rarefv  tin;  tlilcl:  Llack  clouds  of  smoke 
which  rise  from  them,  ;i!ul  so  to  increase  their  light, 
and  to  provide  a  lar»ror  stjpply  of  s.-^lubrious  air  for  all 
the  inhabitants.  In  sisost,  they  svc,  as  it  vrere,  the 
lungs  of  cities  and  towr.s;  and  as  such  they  are  breath- 
ing-places to  thousand;]  who  nifiy  never  wander  from 
the  streets  within  their  actual  precincts. 

Affording  such  advantages  in  the  way  of  health  and 
comfort,  it  is  rather  singular  that  but  few  public  parks 
have  been  formed,  and  that  most  of  them  have  been 
of  such  recent  introduction.  Men  are  naturally  gre- 
garious animals.  In  the  old  times  of  warfare  and 
bloodshed,  they  kept  close  together  for  the  sake  of 
mutual  defense.  It  is  remarkable  how  small  an  area 
some  of  the  ancient  fortified  towns  occupied.  Prob- 
ably the  original  instinct  of  crowding  together  would 
have  continued  to  prevail,  but  for  the  example  pre- 
sented by  those  parks  attached  to  the  metroi^olitan 
cities  of  Great  Britain,  to  which  we  have  already 
alluded.  Much  penetration  was  not  required,  to  per- 
ceive that  such  wide  spaces  as  Hyde  Park,  St.  James' 
Park,  Phccriix  Park,  Dublin,  the  Queen's  Park,  Edin- 
burgh, especially  w'hen  thrown  open  by  the  munifi- 
cence of  successive  sovereigns,  w^ere  boons  of  the 
highest  value  to  the  adjacent  communities.  It  is  only 
surprising  that  a  discerning  public  was  so  slow  to 
discover  that  similar  advantages  were  to  be  enjoyed 
elsewhere. 

Doubtless  there  were  some  considerable  obstacles  in 
10 


218  PARKS    A\D    IVLEASUKE-GKOUNDS. 

the  way.  Supposing,  svliat  was  probably  but  seldom 
the  case,  that  the  utility  and  desirableness  ot"  public 
parks  were  clearly  appreciated,  it  required  no  small 
amount  of  public  spirit,  and  no  inconsiderable  meas- 
ure of  wealth  and  influence,  to  encounter  and  sur- 
mount the  palpable  ditliculties  that  stood  in  the  way. 
The  high  niarketable  value  of  lands  in  the  vicinity  of 
large  towns,  eagerly  taken  up  for  the  pui-poses  of  gar- 
dening or  building,  might  render  their  purchase  almost 
or  altogether  an  impossibility  to  the  local  corporations. 
Then,  too,  the  land  might  be  dearest  at  the  very  point 
where  it  was  most  desirable  that  the  park  should  be 
placed.  Besides,  the  extreme  division  of  property 
often  prevailing  in  such  localities  sometimes  renders 
combined  action  for  public  objects  next  to  hopeless. 
The  greater  is  the  honor  due  to  the  communities,  such 
as  that  of  Manchester,  that  have  had  enterprise  enough 
to  undertake,  and  skill  and  vigor  enough  to  carry 
through,  the  works  which,  in  this  career  of  improve- 
ment, they  have  actually  accomplished. 

The  SriE  of  the  Public  Paek,  viewed  as  calcu- 
lated to  promote  the  health  of  the  community,  should 
be  as  near  the  city  or  town  as  possible;  and,  indeed, 
its  beneficial  influence  would  be  augmented  were  it 
partially  to  intersect  the  area  occupied  by  the  streets 
and  other  buildings.  In  such  a  position  the  park 
would  be  of  easy  access  to  the  inhabitants,  and  would 
form  a  wide  breathing-space,or  lungs,  as  already  said, 
preventing  that  dense  and  unhealthy  crowding  of 
streets  and  lanes  which  are  rapidly  forming  in  com- 
pact masses,  with  manifest  injury  to  the  sanitary  con- 
dition of  some  of  the  principal  manufacturing  towns 
in   the   United   Kingdom.     Such   is   the   importance 


LAYINO-OUT    OF   PUBLIC    PARKS.  219 

of  the  subject,  tliat  it  well  deserves  the  attention 
recently  paid  to  it  by  government.  Certainly  it 
would  be  no  misappropriation  of  the  public  funds, 
were  a  commission  authorized  to  purchase,  in  the  sub- 
urbs of  many  large  towns,  land  sufficient  for  the 
formation  of  a  park:  thus  doing  what  might  not 
be  within  the  power  of  the  local  corporations;  and, 
putting  sanitary  considerations  out  of  the  fjuestion,  we 
do  not  believe  that,  in  most  cases,  the  concern  would 
be  a  losing  one ;  for  the  ground-rents  of  the  houses 
contiguous  to  the  park  would  be  higher,  and  the  sites 
would  be  more  readily  occupied  by  the  wealthy  citi- 
zens than  elsewhere  in  the  neighborhood.  We  have 
seen  es.tates,  in  the  suburbs  of  large  cities,  which  would 
probably,  by  this  time,  have  been  covered  with  streets, 
had  the  owners  given,  with  a  wise  and  self-rewarding 
liberality,  some  thirty  or  forty  acres  to  form  a  public 
park — a  measure  which  would  have  speedily  indem- 
nified them  for  the  apparent  loss,  by  the  increase  of 
rental  received  from  the  remainder  of  the  lands.  By 
forming  parks  round  London,  recent  governments  have 
conferred  a  great  boon  on  the  inhabitants  of  the  me- 
tropolis. Perhaps,  however,  they  might  have  pro- 
ceeded on  more  judicious  principles.  If,  instead  of 
enlarging  the  parks  to  the  extent  of  150  to  270  acres, 
and  placing  them  at  considerable  distances,  they  had 
confined  them  to  80  or  100  acres,  at  one-half  the  dis- 
tance, and  had  multiplied  them  proportionally,  they 
would  have  easily  procured  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
ground  nearer  and  more  accessible  to  all  classes  of  the 
inhabitants. 

Laying-out  of  Public  Parks. — The  designing  of 
tliese  grounds,  and  the  erection  of  the  works,  must 


220  PAKKS   AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

proceed  on  the  principles  already  indicated  in  this 
work,  in  reference  to  private  parks  and  pleasure- 
grounds.  There  are,  however,  some  differences  which 
the  designer  must  take  into  account.  For  example, 
the  furmer  are  intended  for  public,  the  latter  for  pri- 
vate use.  In  an  ordinary  country  residence,  the  man- 
sion-house and  its  appurtenances  form  the  center  of 
attraction,  and  tlie  point  to  T\-hich  all  others  are  re- 
ferred ;  but  such  a  point  of  centralizing  interest  is 
wanting  in  the  public  park.  And  as  the  style  of  dec- 
oration in  towns  is  generally  more  profuse  and  elab- 
orate than  in  rural  districts,  it  may  be  conceded  that 
the  city  park  should  be  more  ornate,  and  may  contain 
a  greater  multiplicity  of  showy  objects,  than  would  be 
altogether  suitable  in  the  country.  It  may  be  pre- 
sumed, too,  that  the  average  taste  of  those  who  fre- 
quent suburban  parks  (we  refer  more  particularly  to 
the  working  classes)  is  not  highly  cultivated  and 
severe;  and  consequently,  the  expression  of  these 
localities  need  not  be  so  quiet,  nor  the  style  so  strictly 
in  harmony  with  the  character  of  the  ground,  as  may 
be  deemed  necessary  in  the  secluded  retreats  of  men 
of  much  cultivation  and  refinement.  The  public  park 
should  be  gay.  though  not  glaring  or  obtrusively 
showy.  Accordingly,  we  would  admit  into  it  a  variety 
of  terraces,  statues,  monuments,  and  water,  in  all  its 
forms  of  fountain,  pond,  and  lake,  wherever  these  can 
be  introduced  without  violent  and  manifest  incongruity. 
Speaking  generally,  when  the  park  is  small  —  say 
from  twenty  to  forty  acres  —  we  would  have  it  to  par- 
take mostly  of  the  character  of  pleasure-grounds ;  that 
is,  it  should  chiefly  be  occupied  with  lawns,  walks, 
shrubberies,   and   moderate  groups  of  trees.     "When 


LATING-OUT    OF    PUBLIC    PARKS.  221 

upward  of  sixty  acres,  tliese  grounds  should  be  parks 
ill  the  proper  sense  of  the  word,  furnished  with  a  few 
inclosures  for  pasture,  broad  and  well-formed  walks 
or  drives  intersecting  and  sweeping  round  the  whole, 
large  masses  of  trees,  approaching  at  times  to  the 
character  of  woods,  together  with  a  reserve  of  some 
acres,  by  way  of  pleasure-grounds  or  dressed  grounds, 
attached  to  the  park. 

The  buildings  essentially  necessary  to  a  public  park 
are  few ;  in  short,  a  house  for  the  superintendent,  and 
a  cottage  or  two  for  the  gate-keepers,  may  suffice ;  but 
where  flower-gardening  is  included  in  the  operations, 
as  it  ought  to  be  at  least  to  a  moderate  extent,  we 
should  be  inclined  to  insist  on  the  addition  of  a  small 
green-house,  to  be  employed  in  the  propagation,  and 
in  the  protection  during  winter,  of  those  tender  orn-a- 
raental  plants  which  are  bedded  out  in  summer.  We 
have  already  noted  the  defect  in  this  kind  of  park, 
arising  from  the  absence  of  a  mansion-house,  and  we 
should  recommend  the  supplying  of  this  want  by  the 
erection  in  it  of  any  suitable  public  buildings.  Nothing 
would  be  more  appropriate,  for  example,  than  a  pic- 
ture-gallery. Statues,  too,  erected  to  distinguished 
citizens,  or  other  illustrious  characters,  would  find 
there  a  more  suitable  station,  and  a  more  comfortable 
home,  than  in  the  crowded  thoroughfares  of  streets 
and  squares,  where  their  uncovered  heads,  and  their 
limbs  scantily  draped  in  classic  costume,  are  alter- 
nately soiled  by  dust  and  soot,  amid  all  the  changes 
of  rain  and  sunshine,  of  snow  and  thaw.  Museums 
containing  objects  of  natural  historj^  and  collections 
of  antiquities,  are  also  desirable  and  instructive  accom- 
paniments  of  these   places   of  public    resort.     The 


222  PARKS   AND   PLEASURE-GE0UND8. 

museum  in  the  Peel  Park,  at  Manchester,  is  not  the 
least  interesting  part  of  it.  Separate  gymnasiums 
should  be  constructed  for  the  youth  of  both  sexes,  (it  is 
always  well  to  give  loiterers  sometliing  to  do,)  and 
bowling-greens  should  be  formed  for  persons  of  more 
advanced  years. 

We  have  already  said  that  water  should  be  era- 
ployed  as  an  ornament  in  public  parks,  in  all  suitable 
localities ;  that  is,  where  the  towni  is  not  built  on  such 
a  craggy  or  twdsted  surface  as  to  preclude  the  possi- 
bility of  finding  a  sufficient  extent  of  level  space,  or 
where  the  vicinity  of  the  sea,  or  a  broad  river,  does 
not  throw  an  air  of  ridicule  over  the  mimic  eiforts  of 
the  designer.     Most  of  the  inland  towns  and  cities  of 
the  empire  are  so  situated  as  to  render  artificial  sheets 
of  water  desirable ;  and  accordingly,  they  are  to  be 
found,  we  believe,  in  all  the  public  parks  which  have 
been  recently  constructed.     It  must  be  confessed,  how- 
ever, that  the  very  flatness  of  the  localities  often  ren- 
ders the  successful  execution  of  such  works  a  matter 
of  great  difficulty.     It  would  be  an  easy,  but  a  some- 
what invidious  task,  to  point  out  certain  signal  failures 
in  this  department  of  designing.     Nearly  all  the  speci- 
mens of  this  kind  of  waterworks  which  we  have  had 
an  opportunity  of  inspecting,  are  deficient  in  breadth 
of  effect;  some  of  them  are  little  better  than  wide 
canals,  and  some  are  grotesque  ponds,  which  the  artist 
seems  to  have  copied  from  his  own  hand,  with  the 
fingers  spread  out,  as  if  in  astonishment  at  his  own 
ino-enuity.     The  taste  is  little  exigeant  that  is  satisfied 
with  such  things.     The  small  lakes  in  the  Koyal  Bo- 
tanic Gardens,  Eegent's  Park,  by  Mr.  Marnoch,  and 
those  in  tl:e  Queen's  Park,  Liveq^ool,  by  Sir  Joseph 


LAYING-OL'T    OF    I'UBLIC    PAUKS.  223 

Paxton,  may  be  cited  as  artificial  pieces  of  water  Avitli 
an  inartificial  look.  It  is  most  needful  that  tlic  de- 
signer, before  he  attempts  this  sort  of  work,  should 
make  himself  familiar  with  the  outlines  and  the  slopes 
in  the  banks  of  natural  lakes,  and  that  he  should  keep 
distinctly  in  view  the  ideas  which  he  has  thus  acquired. 
Instead  of  giving  any  further  directions  in  detail,  we 
beg  to  refer  to  our  chapter  on  Water. 

The  walks  and  drives  in  the  public  park  should  be 
broad,  well-made  at  first,  and  kept  permanently  smooth 
and  dry ;  otherwise  their  edgings  will  be  much  trodden 
down,  and  their  whole  appearance  will  be  mean  and 
slovenly. 

With  respect  to  the  grouping  and  massing  of  trees 
and  shrubs  in  the  public  park,  we  may  refer  to  a  pre- 
vious part  of  the  volume,  where  we  have  treated  of  the 
park  generally,  as  it  is  evident  that  the  same  principles 
must  come  into  operation  in  both  cases.  We  M'ouid 
strongly  recommend,  however,  that  in  planting  the 
public  park,  part  of  its  trees  and  shrubs  should  be  so 
arranged  as  to  combine  instruction  w^th  beauty  of 
effect.  This  object  might  be  easily  attained  by  the 
formation  of  ai-boretums  of  more  or  less  extent,  as  also 
by  making  collections  of  such  hardy  plants  as  are  used 
for  manufacturing  and  agricultural  purposes.  Of 
course,  such  ari'angements  of  plants  and  trees  siiould 
be  furnished  with  labels  exhibiting  the  scientific  and 
popular  naiiies  of  the  species,  and  any  other  informa- 
tion relative  to  their  uses  and  native  habitats  that 
could  be  coridensed  into  a  small  space.  It  is  almost 
incredibhi  what  ignorance  on  tliese  points  exists  among 
tl.'c  inhabitants  of  large  cities,  who  probably  would 
know  an  oak  to  be  a  tree  as  they  woukl  know  a  crow 


224r  PAkKb  AND  ri.KASi:KE-Gi:0L'xr*> 

to  be  a  bird,  Vv-hile  tbey  could  tell  little  or  riotbing 
more  about  eitber.  It  i^  to  bo  regretted  tliat,  witli  tlie 
exception  of  St.  James'  Park  and  Kensington  Gardens, 
all  the  public  parks  around  Loudon  and  Manchester 
are  totall}'  deficient  in  this  simple  and  obvious  means 
of  instruction.  Of  course  we  do  not  wisb  that  every 
busb  and  tree  within  the  inclosure  should  be  labeled  ; 
we  only  propose  that  some  definite  portion  of  the  trees, 
sbrubs,  and  otlier  plants,  should  be  arranged  and 
named  for  this  special  purpose.  Besides  the  informa- 
tion actually  conveyed,  and  the  inquiries  as  to  uses 
suggested,  such  arrangements  would  exhibit,  in  an 
interesting  manner,  the  wonderful  adaptation  of  our 
climate  for  the  growth  of  plants  from  the  milder  and 
colder  regions  of  the  globe.  They  would  display  in 
one  group  the  magnificent  cedars  of  Lebanon,  of  Atlas, 
and  of  the  Himalayas,  together  with  the  firs  of  Sibe- 
ria and  the  Pyrenees,  of  Scotland  and  California,  of 
the  Mediterranean  and  the  Oregon,  of  Xorway  and 
Nepal.  In  a  second,  they  would  show  us  the  broad 
oak  of  Old  England,  the  cut-leaved  oak  of  Turkey, 
the  evergreen  oak  of  Spain,  and  the  red  oak  of  Amer- 
ica, with  the  sycamore  of  Britain  and  the  sugar-maple 
of  Canada.  In  a  third,  we  might  find  the  Arl}utus 
of  Ireland,  the  Andrachne  of  the  Levant,  the  Pldl" 
lyrea  of  Italy,  the  lilacs  of  Persia  and  China,  and 
the  Aucviba  of  Japan.  Manifold  are  the  interesting 
and  instructive  combinations  that  might  be  formed ; 
and  they  could  all  be  effected  at  an  expense  very  little 
beyond  that  which  is  necessarily  incurred  in  the  plant- 
ing of  ordinary  trees  and  shrubs. 

Note. — Our  author,  on  this  important  subject,  talks 


EDUCATIONA.L   INSTITUTIONS.  225 

with  the  strong  sense  and  good  taste  of  a  thorough 
Englishman.  If  land  were  as  i^leniu  and  climi:>  in 
Americans  it  is  \\\  England^  Americans  might,  per- 
haps, talk  of  public  parks,  also !  But  whether  they 
M'ould  have  tlieni,  is  another  matter.  A.  very  pretty 
discussion  might  be  got  up,  touching  the  xdility  of 
puUic  parks,  in  a  country  so  utilitarian  as  ours  pro- 
fesses to  be ;  and  much  might  be  said  on  both  sides. 
At  all  events,  we  do  not  propose  to  enter  the  lists  as  a 
debater.  Yet,  in  the  small  specimens  of  inclosed 
grounds  which  exist  in  some  of  our  principal  cities, 
and  dignified  with  the  name  of  "  Parks,"  we  can  not 
but  imagine  that  if,  instead  of  acres  by  tens,  so  appro- 
priated, they  had  been  by  hundreds,  cities  containing 
them  would  be  all  the  better  for  it. 

In  sober  earnest:  it  is  a  disgrace,  in  point  of  pub- 
lic taste,  that  our  cities  and  large  towns  show  no  speci- 
mens of  extended  park  and  pleasure-grounds  for  the 
multitude.  For  the  lack  of  these,  and  the  consequent 
lack  of  respect  to  tlie  character  of  trees,  there  is  hardly 
a  place  of  public  resort  in  the  United  States,  in  which 
the  trees  standing  about  them  are  not  whittled  and 
scarred  by  the  impudent  initials  cut  into  their  bark 
by  the  visitors ;  and  thought,  at  the  time,  to  be  exceed- 
ingly smart,  by  the  perpetrators. — Ed. 

Educational  Institutions. — It  may  not  be  much 
out  of  place,  to  add  a  few  remarks  in  regard  to  the 
somewhat  cognate  subject  of  gardens  or  pleasure- 
grounds  attached  to  some  great  educational  institutions; 
cognate,  at  least,  in  this  respect,  that  these  grounds,  as 
well  as  the  public  park,  might  be  made  the  means  of 
communicating  important  instruction.  It  should  seem, 
10* 


226  PARKS    AND    PLEASUKE-GROUXDS. 

indeed,  that  they  woiild  promise  more,  in  this  respect, 
than  places  set  apart  for  the  common  resort  of  the 
citizens;  and  yet  this  promise  has  been  most  strangely 
unfulfilled  and  neglected.  Not  to  speak  of  nnivei"si- 
ties,  some  of  Vvd^ich  have  their  botanic  gardens,  there 
are,  for  example,  around  Edinburgh,  six  foundation 
schools,  or  hospitals  as  they  are  there  called,  in  whicli 
children  of  certain  classes  of  the  community  are  boarded 
and  educated  till  they  are  of  suitable  age  to  go  into 
trades  or  professions.  Some  of  these  institutions  oc- 
cupy magnificent  buildings,  and  have  almost  princely 
revenues ;  all  of  them  are  well  endowed ;  and  yet, 
while  they  are  surrounded  by  grounds  more  or  less 
tolerably  laid  out,  not  one  of  them  possesses  a  named 
collection  of  plants ;  nor,  so  far  as  we  know,  is  any 
regular  course  of  instruction  in  regard  to  natural  ob- 
jects maintained  within  them.  A¥e  can  not  think  that 
this  state  of  things,  subsisting  under  the  direction  of 
numerous  well-informed  and  intelligent  men,  is  very 
much  to  the  credit  of  the  science  and  the  enterprise 
of  Modern  Athens. 

We  would  deem  it  highly  advisable  to  attach  a 
garden  of  two  or  three  acres  to  the  normal  schools  pro- 
vided by  government  for  the  improvement  of  teach- 
ing. These,  under  proper  management,  would  enable 
the  pupil-teachers  to  carry  back  to  their  native  homes 
or  future  places  of  labor,  a  correct  nomenclature  of 
plants  and  much  other  useful  information  respecting 
them,  but  little  known  in  secluded  districts.  In  refer- 
ence to  these  matters,  the  progress  made  in  Ireland  is 
much  in  advance  of  that  on  this  side  of  the  channel. 
The  agricultural  seminaries  at  Glasnevin  and  Temple- 


KBUCATIONAL    IXSTITUTIONS.  227 

moile  have  considerable  collections  of  trees,  slirubs, 
and  plants  attached  to  them.* 

JSfote. — Although  the  subject  of  ornamental  grounds 
attached  to  educational  institutions  has  arrested  both 
the  attention  and  pens  of  some  of  our  most  accom- 
plished men,  every  one  possessed  of  true  taste  must 
lament  the  want  of  attention  hitherto  paid  to  that  de- 
partment of  education,  in  America ;  for  it  should  be 
a  department  of  our  public  education,  as  much  as  the 
languages,  or  the  sciences.  Indeed,  the  founders  of 
most  of  our  large  institutions  of  leai-ning,  whether 
through  the  state  governments,  public  associations, 
corporations,  or  individual  munificence,  have,  in  the 
liberality  of  their  endowments,  and  ample  appropria- 
tions of  grounds,  intended  it  —  theoretically,  at  least; 
but  in  most  cases,  the  intention  has  been  miserably 
neglected  in  the  carrying  out.  Every  boy  —  every 
student  —  no  matter  what  his  proposed  occupation  or 
profession  in  life,  should,  as  a  part  of  his  education,  be 
taught  the  principles  of  vegetable  physiology,  and  how 
to  plant  a  tree,  and  tend  it  afterward.  It  is  scarce  worth 
while  to  occupy  these  pages  with  a  homily  on  the  im- 
portance of  embellishing,  by  the  planting  of  trees, 
grounds  devoted  to  seats  of  learning  —  even  the  district 
school :  a  thing  so  entirely  obvious,  on  a  thought  of 
the  subject ;  yet  it  is  a  truth,  that  in  no  country  pro- 
fessing to  be  civilized,  is  less  attention  paid  to  this  than 
in  the  United  States.     It  is  a  barbarism,  and  for  its 

•  In  1840,  we  laid  out  an  arliorctum  and  muiiatuve  botanic  garden,  about  twelvo 
acres  in  extent,  around  Gwynn's  Institution,  I/ondopderry  —  an  Institution  for  the 
maintenance  and  education  of  orphan  cliildren.  Tliere  is  also  a  small  farm  attached, 
In  which,  as  well  as  in  the  ground<i,  many  of  the  children  are  trained  to  rural  labor, 
and  80  fitted  to  become  useful  members  of  society.  The  enlightened  liberality  which 
Lafl  unifomJy  chaiacterized  tlvis  institution  has  rendered  it  a  blessing  to  tlie  poor, 
which  is  highly  and  deservedly  appreciated  by  all  classes  in  the  maiden  city. 


228  I'AKKS    AXI)    PLEASL'EE-GROUXDS. 

continuance  there  is  no  possible  excuse.  We  may 
profitably  take  lessons  of  improvement  from  the  peo- 
ple of  countries  whom  we  afl'ect  to  hold  in  little  regard ; 
but  who  are,  in  this  subject  at  least,  a  great  way  our 
superiors. — Ed. 

Sect.  II. — Stkeet  Gardens. 

Allied,  in  some  respects,  to  public  parks,  are  the 
gardens  which  are  formed  in  squares,  and  other  open 
places  in  towns,  and  in  front  of  streets.  These  grounds, 
however  humble  they  may  seem,  are  very  beneficial 
to  the  population  around  them  ;  and  they  ought,  there- 
fore, to  enter  more  into  our  street  arrangements  than 
they  do  at  present.  They  serve  to  spread  the  inhabi- 
tants of  large  cities  over  a  wider  sm-face,  they  increase 
the  purity  of  the  air,  and  act,  in  short,  as  miniature 
parks.  The  square  and  the  street  with  gardens  in 
front,  judging  from  their  paucity  in  most  towns,  do 
not  seem  to  be  so  popular  places  of  residence  as  they 
ought  to  be,  and  we  can  not  altogether  wonder  that 
this  should  be  the  case.  Most  of  them  are  extremely 
ugly,  particularly  when  viewed  from  the  street.  The 
objects  there  presented  to  an  observer  are  an  iron  rail- 
ing of  affected  finery,  with  a  line  of  trees  hanging  over 
it,  dirty,  rickety  shrubs  below  them,  patches  of  red 
earth  partially  covered  with  straws;  in  short,  a  whole 
exhibiting  a  miserable  aspect  of  squalor  and  discom- 
fort. As  to  the  plan,  the  dominant  type  invariably 
requires  a  belt  of  trees  and  shrubs  around  the  inside  of 
the  railing,  and  a  circle  in  the  center ;  the  latter  figure, 
however,  occasionally  giving  place  to  a  statue  or  a 
monument.     If  the  belt  is  varied  by  a  few  projections 


STRECT    GAHDK.VS.  '  229 

or  clumps  in  the  inside,  its  external  continuity  is  nev- 
ertheless rigidly  maintained ;  and  the  usual  feeling 
communicated  to  you,  in  passing  round  a  square,  is 
that  you  are  walking  in  the  front  of  a  row  of  houses, 
but  at  the  back  of  a  garden.  The  internal  arrange- 
ments are  often  little  superior  to  the  external,  and  often 
they  are  worst  where  most  might  have  been  expected. 
We  have  seen,  for  example,  a  frill  of  shrubs  added  to 
the  original  belt,  and  two  dull  outlines  produced  in- 
stead of  one.  We  have  seen  parallel  terraces  which 
are  not  parallel  in  their  levels,  and  curtailed,  moreover, 
of  their  fair  proportions  by  an  oblique  walk  slanting 
across  the  base.  With  a  varied  proprietary  and  hun- 
dreds of  overlooking  windows,  the  ruling  idea  in  the 
laying-out  of  street  gardens  seems  to  be  their  seclu- 
sion from  the  vulgar  eyes  of  passengers  on  the  pave- 
ment. The  inhabitants  of  such  places  not  unfrequently 
complain  of  their  exclusion  from  the  parks  and  gar- 
dens of  country  gentlemen,  and  this  often  in  entire 
oblivion  of  their  own  equally  illiberal  and  more  incon- 
sistent exclusiveness  in  regard  to  their  city  paradises. 
But  if  street  gardens  are  inferior  in  design,  they  are 
scarcely  less  so  in  their  management.  A  directory  of 
worthy  citizens,  with  a  jobbing  gardener  as  their  ex- 
ecutive, often  perpetrate  great  barbarities  on  the  unfor- 
tunate shrubs  and  trees  growing  under  their  regime. 
What  with  the  manifest  errors  in  the  laying-out  of  the 
grounds,  the  mutilations  inflicted  on  trees  and  shrubs 
in  palpable  ignorance  or  contempt  of  arboreal  beauty, 
the  inevitably  injurious  effects  of  dust  and  smoke  — 
the  whole  influences,  natural  and  artificial,  resulting 
in  a  dainty  but  puny  rus-in-urhisJiness^  as  it  has  been 
expressively  called,  we  have  sometimes  been  tempted 


230  PARKS    AND    PLEASURE-GROL'NDS. 

to  -vvisli  that  squares  were  empty  places^  or  even  the 
Bites  of  bustling  markets,  rather  than  that  they  should 
contiuue  in  that  paltry  condition  in  which  most  of 
them  actually  exist. 

And  yet,  such  would  be  a  consummation  greatly  to 
be  deplored.  People,  while  planning  a  section  of  a 
town  or  city,  will  think  of  a  square  with  its  hoped-for 
greenery  a  hundred  times  sooner  than  of  a  jolace^  or 
open  paved  area.  Dismiss  the  conception  of  a  square, 
and  a  block  of  dense  parallel  streets  will  certainly 
come  in  its  stead.  Probably  the  most  imperfect  square- 
garden  is  more  propitious  to  health  than  a  paved  area 
is,  particularly  in  the  heats  of  summer.  Besides,  the 
garden  is  a  place  of  refuge  and  of  play  to  the  children 
and  the  juvenile  people  of  our  cities.  "Why,  then, 
will  proprietors,  after  they  have  expended  many  hun- 
dred pounds  on  parapet  walls  and  iron  railing,  not  go 
to  the  trifling  additional  expense  of  engaging  the  ser 
vices  of  a  qualilied  professional  man?  The  square- 
garden  is  surely  not  an  insoluble  problem,  though  it 
has  its  difficulties  everywhere;  and  when  it  is  to  be 
formed  on  a  dead  level,  and  still  more  on  a  slightly- 
twisted  surface,  its  natural  felicities  are  not  consider- 
able. A  practiced  eye  will  at  least  avoid  conspicuous 
blunders.  An  ordinary  courage  might  suffice  to  make 
a  few  gaps  in  the  encircling  belt.  And  we  must  add, 
that  after  a  garden  of  any  kind  has  been  formed  at 
considerable  cost,  it  is  a  self-defrauding  economy  that 
grudges  or  withholds  the  necessary  maintenance.  To 
afford  unalloyed  pleasure,  all  gardens  must  be  "  trim," 
to  use  the  epithet  of  Milton ;  and  this  is  especially 
true  of  the  square  or  street-garden  ;  which,  as  we  have 
seen,  is  peculiarly  exposed,  from  its  situation,  to  be 


BOTANIC    GARDENS.  231 

soiled  and  tarnislied.  We  sliould  be  disposed  to  i-e- 
commend  that,  in  such  gardens,  a  plain,  quiet  style 
of  beauty  should  be  aimed  at ;  but  that  it  should  be 
elaborated,  and  kept  up  ^vith  a  rigid  and  pervading 
neatness. 

Note. — Nothing  could   be   better  said,  on   such  a 
subject. — Ed. 


Sect.  III. — Botanic  Gardens. 

Botanic  gardens,  both  in  their  present  dedication  to 
scientific  purposes,  and  in  the  economical  uses  to 
which  they  are  probably  destined  to  be  applied,  may 
be  regarded  as  among  the  most  important  public  gar- 
dens in  this  country.  They  are  intended,  primarily, 
to  contain  general  collections  of  plants,  both  native 
and  exotic,  both  hardy  and  requiring  protection,  and 
j5articularly  those  species  which,  from  their  possessing 
moderate  ornamental  qualities,  are  not  likely  to  be 
cultivated  in  common  gardens.  In  the  neighborhood 
of  me^iical  schools,  they  are  of  great  utility,  as  pre- 
senting systematic  arrangements,  in  a  living  state,  of 
the  plants  employed  in  materia  inedica.  They  are 
also  likely  to  become  highly  beneficial  by  forming 
collections  of  vegetable  substances  adapted  for  food, 
and  used  in  the  arts  and  manufactures,  though  this  is 
a  purpose  to  which  they  are  only  beginning  to  be 
applied.  On  tliese  grounds,  botanic  gardens  can  meet 
the  demands  of  the  most  rigid  utilitarian.  To  persons 
of  a  scientific  turn  of  mind,  and  of  refined  under- 
standing, they  possess  a  very  high  interest.  They 
have  done  much  to  feed  with  oil  the  lami)  of  botany, 


232  PARKS    AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

which,  during  the  lust  century,  has  burned  so  brightly, 
and  has  shed  so  brilliant  light  on  the  science  of 
method,  as  applicable  to  the  natural  sciences  in  gen- 
eral. They  have  stimulated  the  search  for  plants 
abroad,  and  promoted  their  diffusion  at  home ;  and 
they  have  facilitated,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  the 
inspection,  and  so  have  extended  the  knowledge,  of 
the  vegetable  system  of  our  globe,  the  individual 
members  of  which  the  wise  and  beneficent  Creator 
has  endowed  with  constitutional  peculiarities  suited  to 
every  habitable  region  of  the  earth,  and  has  fitted,  either 
directly  or  indirectly,  to  house,  clothe,  and  feed  the  infi- 
nite variety  of  animal  life  to  be  found  on  its  surface. 

To  regard  botanic  gardens  merely  as  receptacles  for 
objects  which  are  the  materials  of  botanical  classifica- 
tion, is  to  place  them  nmch  below  their  proper  sphere, 
and  to  make  them  representatives  of  luiman  systems, 
rather  than  of  that  vast  order  of  vegetable  being  estab- 
lished by  the  great  Creator.  How  fiir  many  of  these 
institutions  have  risen  above  their  lower,  and  ascended 
toward  their  higher  and  more  legitimate  position,  must 
be  left  to  be  ascertained  by  actual  inspection.  Doubt- 
less, botanic  gardens  have  considerable  difficulties  to 
contend  with,  and,  from  a  variety  of  circumstances, 
are  occasionally  liable  to  stagnate.  They  require 
abundant  liberality  on  the  part  of  the  patrons,  wisdom 
and  science  on  that  of  the  directors,  and  great  dili- 
gence, some  versatility  and  activity  of  mind,  and  en- 
tire consecration  of  time  and  attention  in  the  curators. 
Perhaps  it  is  not  often  that  all  these  requisites  are 
found  in  combination,  and  the  want  of  one  or  other  of 
them  may  partly  account  for  the  inferiority  in  those 
e-ardens  which    occasionallv    exists.  -    It    is    not    our 


SPECIAL    rrRPOSES   OF   BOTANIC    GARDENS.  233 

design,  however,  to  speak  disparagingly  of  the  botanic 
gardens  of  the  United  Kingdom ;  man}-  of  them  are 
ably  and  admirably  managed;  of  these  we  do  not 
name  any,  because  we  cannot  enumerate  all,  and  a 
particular  specification  of  some  might  seem  invidious 
to  the  others.  We  can  not  help  directing  the  attention 
of  the  reader  to  the  great  exotic  nurseries  near  our 
metropolitan  cities,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  country ; 
which,  though  conducted  on  commercial  principles, 
are  substantially  botanic  gardens,  and  are  not  the  least 
remarkable  instances  of  the  union  of  capital,  enter- 
prise, skill,  and  industry  that  are  to  be  found  in  the 
present  day. 

Special  Purposes  of  Botakic  Gardens. — In  the 
preceding  remarks,  it  is  implied  that  botanic  gardens 
are  intended  to  be  the  means  of  public  instruction ; 
we  may  now  notice  some  of  the  particular  expedients 
for  the  accomplishment  of  this  desirable  end. 

All  botanic  gardens  are,  or  ought  to  be,  furnished 
with  systematic  arrangements  of  herbaceous  plants  — 
a  minor  one,  according  to  the  Linnaean,  and  a  more 
extensive  one  on  some  one  of  the  natural  systems.  As 
a  pendant  to  these,  there  ought  to  be  a  general  arbor- 
etum, in  which  all  ligneous  or  wooded  plants,  which, 
as  they  can  not  be  conveniently  grouped  in  the  herb- 
aceous arrangements,  may  be  put  into  scientific  com- 
bination ;  and  unquestionably,  this  is  best  done  on  the 
principles  of  the  natural  orders  and  families.  Besides, 
there  should  be  a  separate  arrangement  of  medical 
plants.  To  give  specific  directions  on  these  points, 
does  not  fall  within  our  present  design.  We  content 
ourselves,  therefore,  with  merely  alluding  to  them ; 
and  we  proceed  to  indicate  some  other  objects  which 


234:  PARKS    AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

it  is  desirable  should  be  kept  in  view  more  fully  than 
heretofore  in  the  formation  of  this  species  of  garden. 

Territorial  arrangements  of  plants  have  been  recom- 
mended, and,  we  humbly  think,  have  received  too 
little  attention ;  for,  being  skillfully  executed,  they 
would  possess  a  high  degree  of  interest.  There  are 
difficulties,  it  is  true,  in  carrying  out  the  territorial 
principle,  particularly  in  regard  to  those  exotics  which 
require  protection  and  artificial  heat.  Still,  much 
might  be  done  with  the  natives  of  the  temperate  and 
frigid  zones,  to  exhibit  the  vegetation  of  particular 
kingdoms.  At  least  three  of  the  quarters  of  the 
globe  —  Europe,  Asia,  and  America  —  could  be  ade- 
quately represented;  and  subordinate  sections,  if  ne- 
cessary, might  be  made  to  include  the  plants  of  the 
more  important  countries,  or  ranges  of  continent  em- 
braced in  the  main  divisions.  For  example,  we  miglit 
have  a  British  Flora,  a  French  and  German  Flora,  a 
Mediterranean,  a  Russian  and  Siberian,  a  North  Amer- 
ican Flora,  and  various  others.  Undoubtedly,  one  of 
the  most  curious  things  in  our  flower-gardens  is  to  see 
natives  of  the  Alps  and  the  Himalayas,  of  Oregon 
and  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  all  growing  peacefully 
and  lovingly  together ;  but  in  consequence  of  this  pro- 
miscuous planting,  the  facts  of  botanical  geography 
are  at  once  lost  sight  of,  and  very  often  completely 
forgotten.  It  is  admitted  that  it  would  be  difficult,  or 
rather  expensive  and  laborious,  to  carry  out  the  terri- 
torial system  to  a  great  extent;  yet  it  might  be  within 
the  compass  of  attainable  effort  to  adopt  the  principle 
in  part.  We  should  like  to  see  a  real  Amei'lcan  gar- 
den—  that  is,  one  containing  only  American  plants, 
and  not  the  mixed  aflFair  which  goes  generally  under 


SPECIAL   PURPOSES   OF   BOTANIC    GARDENS.         235 

that  name.  There  might  at  least  be  distinct  gardens 
for  the  natural  vegetation  of  the  United  Kingdom, 
and  of  her  principal  colonies  —  those,  namely,  in  North 
America,  the  Cape,  Australia,  New  Zealand,  and  the 
mountainous  regions  of  India.  It  is  not  proposed  that 
every  plant  which  is  to  be  found  within  the  limits  of 
any  country  should  be  included  in  these  separate  ar- 
rangements ;  but  it  seems  possible,  by  the  selection  of 
characteristic  species,  to  give  a  fair  representation  of 
the  vegetable  economy  of  the  territory  selected,  and 
even  to  convey  an  expression  of  its  external  physiog- 
nomy. The  space  required  for  such  purposes  is  not 
necessarily  large,  as  the  trees  and  shrubs  which  occupy 
most  space  might  be  kept  small,  there  being  other 
specimens  of  the  same  species,  in  the  general  collec- 
tion, allowed  to  reach  their  natural  development.  Ld; 
any  one  go  into  a  botanic  garden,  as  commonl}^  ar- 
ranged at  present,  in  order  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of 
the  vegetation  indigenous  in  any  of  the  temperate 
regions  of  the  world,  and  most  likely  he  will  have  to 
trace,  by  the  aid  of  books  and  other  appliances,  a  bo- 
tanical system  scattered  over  the  whole  grounds  before 
he  can  obtain  even  a  glimpse  of  the  object  of  his  re- 
search. From  the  divisional  gardens  we  are  now  re- 
commending, persons  about  to  travel  might  receive  at 
once  a  general  idea  of  the  vegetation  they  are  likely 
to  meet  with  in  foreign  coimtries ;  and  all  might  learn 
■with  little  trouble  how  much  we  are  indebted  to  par- 
ticular regions  for  the  trees,  shrubs,  and  plants  that 
tenant  our  gardens.  Certainly,  the  unbotanical  public 
would  find  more  attraction  and  instruction  in  these 
than  in  strictly  scientific  arrangements.  We  there- 
fore stronglv  recommend  them  to  tlie  attention  of  our 


236  PARKS   AND   PLEASUEE-GROUNDS. 

readers ;  admitting,  at  the  same  time,  that  they  would 
require  some  increase  of  room  and  of  expense;  still, 
we  think  that  there  are  several  botanic  gardens  in 
Great  Britain  of  extent  and  resources  sufficient  to 
admit  of  the  experiment  being  tried  with  success. 

All  botanic  gardens  ought  to  possess  a  certain  num- 
ber of  plant-houses,  properly  glazed,  and  supplied 
with  heating  apparatus.  The  more  there  are  of  these 
structures,  the  better ;  but  their  number  and  extent 
will  depend  on  the  amount  of  funds  placed  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  institution.  With  cheapened  glass,  and 
other  materials,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  will  become 
more  numerous  than  ever.  These  houses  should  have 
a  special  adaptation  to  the  plants  which  are  to  grow  in 
them.  A  botanic  garden  can  scarcely  be  complete 
without  a  palm-house,  a  heath-house,  an  orchideous- 
house,  besides  stoves,  green-houses,  and  propagation- 
pits.  It  must  always  be  remembered  that  the  deepest 
interest  awakened  by  this  kind  of  garden  connects 
itself  with  the  preservation  and  growth  of  those  curi- 
ous, and  often  singularly  beautiful  exotics,  which  are 
the  natives  of  tropical  or  other  warm  climes. 

The  Botanicai.  Museum  is  now  becoming  a  neces- 
sary and  a  most  useful  appendage  to  the  botanic  gar- 
den. It  is  intended  for  the  preservation  of  dried  sj)eci- 
mens  of  plants,  seeds,  samples  of  woods,  and,  in  short, 
for  every  form  of  vegetable  production  that  can  be 
rendered  permanent  and  kept  in  bulk.  Ever}^  botan- 
ist is  aware  how  important  is  the  liortus  nccus  to  the 
autlientication  of  species,  and  generally  to  the  history 
of  his  science ;  there  are,  however,  many  other  things 
besides  formal  specimens  of  plants,  which  are  interest- 
ing and  worthy  of  preservation.     Properly  arranged, 


LAYING  OUT    OF   THE    BOTANIC    GARDEN.  237 

and   adequately  completed,   such  inusenms   may  be 
made  to  exhibit  nearly  the  whole  vegetable  system. 
In  a  former  paragraph,  we  have  recommended  terri- 
torial arrangements  of  plants  in  the  open  ground  ;  and 
we  may  here  add,  that  we  do  not  know  any  more  in- 
teresting materials  for  the  mnseum  than  well-arranged 
collections  from  various  countries ;  not  merely  for  dis- 
playing their  native  botany  in  its  technical  form,  but 
also  for  exhibiting  their  vegetable  products  reared  by 
agriculture,  and  employed  in  domestic  economy  and 
the  arts.     Great  Britain  and  its  colonies,  by  them- 
selves, might  yield  a  most  instructive  exhibition  of 
this  kind.     The  museum  in  the  Koyal  Gardens  at  Kew 
is  the  object  of  high  patronage,  and  is  rapidly  increas- 
ing in  magnitude  and  importance.     A  promising  be- 
ginning has  also  been  made  at  Edinburgh,  w^hich,  it  is 
to  be  hoped,  will  continue  to  make  progress.     In  both 
cases,  however,  much  remains  to  be  done  before  they 
can  be  said  to  have  accomplished  their  proper  object. 
Meanwhile,  they  are  worthy  of  all  aid  and  approba- 
tion, as  most  useful  and  instructive  parts  of  the  insti- 
tutions to  which  they  belong.     The  territorial  principle 
was  well  exemplified  in  the  Great  Exhibition  of  1851. 
Laying-oit  of  THE  BoTANic  Gakden. — The  hotanic 
garden,  particularly  when  extensive,  may  be  regarded 
as  a  combination  of  the  pleasure-ground  and  the  flower- 
garden —  the  former  character  predominating  in  the 
arboretum,  and  the  latter  in  the  smaller  and  more 
ornamental  flower-beds  and  borders.     From  the  lim- 
ited extent  of  space,  and  the  variety  of  special  adapta- 
tions to  particular  purposes,  it  is  diflicult  to  introduce 
much  of  the  pictorial  eftect  arising  from  the  groups 
of  trees  and  shrubs,  interspersed  with  lawns,  which  is 


238  PARKS   AJ^T)   PLEASURE'GROUXDS. 

60  prominent  a  feaiure  in  a  well-laid-out  pleasure- 
ground.  Still,  we  tliink  that  much  more  of  it  might 
be  secured  than  is  commonly  accomplished,  or  even 
attempted  in  these  gardens.  At  present,  we  can  oflfer 
only  a  few  hints  ;  and  these  rather  in  the  way  of  j)oiut- 
ing  out 'faults  to  be  amended,  than  as  a  full  exposition 
of  a  subject  of  some  intricacy,  and  requiring  a  consid- 
erable amount  of  minute  detail. 

The  site  of  the  plant-houses  is  a  matter  of  ruling 
importance,  in  the  arrangement  of  the  several  parts 
of  a  botanic  garden,  as  their  position  generally  forms 
the  starting-point  from  which  the  leading  walks  set 
out,  and  to  which,  indeed,  every  thing  is  related.  These 
houses  should  not  be  allowed  to  occupy  quite  a  central 
place  in  the  garden,  as  tiiey  sometimes  do ;  for,  in  that 
case,  they  leave  only  a  narrow  strip  of  ground  behind 
them,  and  but  a  limited  extent  of  free  space  in  front. 
On  level  ground  of  a  rectangular  form,  they  should  be 
toward  either  the  north  or  south  end  —  the  former 
being  the  preferable,  as  affording  greater  facilities  for 
forming  back-courts  and  propagation-pits,  and  as  giv- 
ing greater  freedom  of  access  to  carts  bringing  fuel 
and  soils.  By  this  means,  most  of  the  ornamental 
grounds  may  be  kept  in  front  of  the  liouses,  which  will 
then  form  an  elegant  and  appropriate  back-ground. 
These  houses  are  usually  erected  in  ranges,  and  in  that 
way  they  often  produce  an  imposing  effect ;  but  we 
are  sometimes  disposed  to  question  the  propriety  of 
this  arrangement  as  a  general  rule,  particularly  when 
the  plain  lean-to  form,  common  in  forcing-gardens,  is 
adopted ;  for  it  is  evident  that  in  that  way  they  can 
receive  light  only  from  the  roof,  and  the  upright  glass 
in  front.     "We  should  prefer  to  have  them  detached, 


LATINO-OUT   OF   Till-:    BOTANIC    GARDEN.  230 

singly  or  in  pairs,  for  tlien  they  would  be  illuminated 
nearly  all  round.  When  we  say  detached.,  we  do  nut 
mean  scattered  promiscuously  throughout  the  garden  — 
that  would  be  a  worse  fault  than  the  other,  and  would 
give  rise  to  serious  inconveniences  in  their  manage- 
ment. Tiiey  may  be  detached  in  groups,  as  leading 
objects  of  particular  divisions  of  the  garden.  If  ;i 
general  range  is  adopted,  either  from  the  limited  extent 
of  the  garden,  or  from  the  grounds  being  favorable  to 
the  production  of  an  imposing  effect  by  the  concentra- 
tion of  the  plant-liouses  in  some  particular  spot,  tlie 
range,  for  example,  might  be  thrown  into  divisions  of 
lean-to  or  span-roofed  houses,  of  greater  or  less  extent, 
placed  at  such  distances  as  not  to  shade  each  other. 
These  might  be  made  to  abut  against  a  wall  running 
east  and  west;  and  on  this  wall  might  be  formed 
glazed  corridors  between  the  divisions  communicating 
with  the  main  structures,  and  uniting  the  whole  into 
one  general  range  of  ornamental  glass.  A  number  of 
other  arrangements,  on  similar  principles,  might  be 
suggested;  we  merely  hint  at  them,  to  show  that  those 
disjointed  accumulations  of  plant-houses,  set  down 
apparently  at  hap-hazard,  and  not  unfrequently  seen  in 
ill-arranged  nurseries,  are  not  at  all  necessarily  incident 
to  the  botanic  garden,  and  ought  therefore  to  be  sedu- 
lously avoided.  Perhaps  some  of  the  faults  of  this 
kind,  to  be  found  in  better  establishments,  are  to  be 
ascribed  to  the  circumstance  that  the  buildings  in 
question  were  after-thoughts. 

The  next  error  to  which  it  is  needful  to  advert  is  the 
too  common  practice  of  planting  mixed  belts  of  trees 
along  the  exterior  boundary  walls.  These  are  gen- 
erally unnecessary ;  for  in  a  botanic  garden  there  is 


240  PARKS    AND    I'LEASCRE-GROUNDS. 

no  need  of  tliat  seclusion  wliicli  is  often  desirable  in 
the  villa.  At  the  same  time,  the  moderate  vailing  of 
the  walls,  and  the  securing  of  a  proper  degree  of  shel- 
ter, render  tlie  grouping  and  massing  of  trees  and 
shrubs  indispensable.  This  v/ant  can  be  nearly,  if  not 
completely,  supplied  by  the  skillful  disposition  of  the 
arboretum.  The  arrangem.ent  of  trees  and  shrubs 
should  be  such  as  to  throw  them  into  groups  toward 
the  external  walls  in  some  places,  and  toward  the  in- 
terior of  the  grounds  in  others  ;  by  this  means  a  variety 
of  open  sjjaces,  both  in  front  of  the  walls  and  in  the 
center,  will  be  left  for  collections  of  plants,  and  for 
lawns  to  be  decorated  more  or  less  with  ornamental 
shrubs  and  showy  annual  and  perennial  flowers. 
Lawns  are  seldom  well  managed  in  botanic  gardens. 
They  often  exhibit  the  dotting  system  in  its  perfection, 
or  are  intersected  by  a  multitude  of  paltry  figures 
crowded  with  herbaceous  plants.  We  are  not  disposed 
to  recommend  that  these  gardens  should  be  laid  out 
generally  for  lawn-scenery,  jDroperly  so  called;  the 
space  within  them  is  too  valuable  to  admit  of  that 
system  as  a  whole;  but  the  introduction  of  one  or 
two  lawns  of  moderate  extent  will  relieve  the  prev- 
alent appearance  of  crowding,  and  will  soften  the  eftect 
of  that  multiplicity  of  figuring  and  dotting  which,  it 
must  be  owned^  can  not  be  wholly  avoided. 

Another  difiiculty  in  the  botanic  garden,  which  is 
often  imjDerfectly  overcome-  and  sometimes  is  not  even 
attempted  to  be  obviated,  is  to  be  found  in  the  proper 
management  of  the  collections  of  herbaceous  plants. 
As  these  require  a  considerable  space  of  ground,  they 
are  frequently  overcrowded.  Perhaps  their  most  gen- 
eral effect  is  baldness  and  monotony  —  an  effect  not 


LAYING-OUT    OF   THE    KOTANIO-GARDEN.  241 

lessened  by  the  color  of  the  earth,  and  those  ranks 
and  files  of  painted  tallies  bearing  the  names,  in  win- 
ter more  conspicuous  than  the  plants  themselves.  ~\Yhen 
these  collections  are  arranged  in  lines,  with  alleys  of 
bare  earth  between  them,  the  result  is  extreme  bald- 
ness; and  the  plants  seldom  thrive,  as  the  bare  and 
generally  weedless  soil,  reflecting  the  glare  of  summer 
light  and  heat  upon  them,  affords  a  home  as  unlike 
the  natural  habitats  of  most  as  j^ossible.  "When  the 
lines  are  waved,  with  grass  alleys  intervening,  the  gen- 
eral effect  is  ameliorated,  and  in  winter  the  ground 
has  partially  the  semblance  of  a  lawn.  When  the 
natural  system  of  arrangement  is  adopted,  the  plants 
may  be  made  to  fall  into  groups ;  but  few  of  the  ex- 
amples of  this  kind  of  planting,  which  have  come 
under  our  observation,  are  materially  better  tlian  the 
< others.  They  are  usually  planted  in  clumps  in  grass, 
but  the  figures  are  seldom  good  ;  the  intervening  spaces 
of  grass  are  too  narrow ;  and  the  plants  too  small  to 
produce  any  of  that  lawn-like  effect  which  we  suppose 
is  aimed  at.  We  should  deem  it  more  advisable  to 
arrange  such  collections  in  the  form  of  parterres,  com- 
posed of  beds  suited  for  the  various  tribes  and  genera, 
and  intersected  with  graveled  walks  —  a  method  which 
would  economize  the  ground  occupied,  and  facilitate 
inspection. 

JVote. — It  is  little  creditable  to  American  taste  and 
enterprise,  that  although  two  botanic  gardens  have 
been,  many  years  ago,  liberally  endowed  —  in  the  city 
of  New  York,  and  at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  and 
possibly  in  other  cities  of  the  United  States  —  they 
died  out  for  want  of  care,  and  a  failure  to  excite  a 
sufficient  interest  in  those  who  should  have  been 
11 


242  PARKS    AND    I'LICASURE-GKOUXDS. 

sufficiently  interested  in  them  to  secure  their  con- 
tinuance. We  are  a  great  way  beiiind  Europe  in  this 
department,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  our  further 
neo-lect  will  not  long  remain  a  reproach  to  us. — Ed, 


Sect.  IV.  —  Gaedexs  belonging  to   Horticultural 

AND  Zoological  Societies. 

(1.)  The  Garden  of  Horticultural  Societies. — This 
species  of  garden  is  of  more  recent  origin  than  those 
devoted  to  strictly  botanical  purposes.     Soon  after  the 
rise  of  the  horticultural  societies,  in  the  first  decade  of 
the  present  century,  it  was  felt  to  be  desirable  tliat 
these   institutions   should   possess   pieces   of  garden- 
ground,  on  which  to  perform  such  extended  experiments 
as  might  be  beyond  the  reach  of  private  cultivators. 
Methods  of  culture  recommended  by  professional  men, 
or  speculative  amateurs,  were  to  be  repeated,  and  their 
o-eneral  utility  to  be  ascertained.     Original  observa- 
tions were  to  be  made.     In  all  these  and  various  other 
SDlieres  of  progress,  the  gardens  of  which  we  now  pro- 
pose to  speak,  as  is  universally  admitted,  have  conferred 
most  important  benefits  on  the  practice  of  horticulture. 
In  botanic  gardens  many  valuable  and  interesting 
plants  can  appear  only  as  single  specimens  of  the 
vegetable  system,  for  in  these  the  principle  to  be  fol- 
lowed is  the  collection  of  specks^  and  as  the  known 
species  are  now  very  numerous,  many  varieties  and 
sub-varieties  of  great  value  in  ornamental  and  eco- 
nomical points  of  view  are  necessarily  excluded.     In 
the  horticultural  garden,  (to  adopt  the  popular,  but 


THE  GARDEN  OF  nORTICULTURAL  SOCIETIES.  2^:3 

somewhat  tautologica,!  name,)  the  principle  wliich  1-, 
or  ought  to  be,  adopted  is  selection.  Certain  planb^, 
whether  species  or  varieties,  but  possessed  of  notice- 
able qualities,  are  chosen,  and  their  culture  is  so 
extended  and  varied  as  at  once  to  determine  their 
practical  value,  and  to  illustrate  and  exemplify  the 
best  methods  by  which  they  may  be  produced  in  pri- 
vate establishments.  In  the  botanic  garden  the  pre- 
dominating interest  is  the  purely  scientific ;  in  the 
horticultural  garden  the  chief  aim  is  tlie  xisefiil.^  includ- 
ing in  that  term,  howevei',  the  process  of  ornamental 
as  well  as  economical  gardening,  and  the  application 
of  scientific  principles  to  the  effecting  of  these  utili- 
tarian results. 

The  gardens  attached  to  horticultural  societies  have 
done  much  to  promote  the  great  advance  recently 
made  by  this  pleasing  and  useful  art.  The  conductors 
of  the  splendid  establishment  belonging  to  the  great 
metropolitan  society  —  some  of  them  men  of  high 
scientific  attainments,  all  of  them  characterized  by 
skill,  perseverance,  and  devotedness  to  their  favorite 
pursuits  —  have  been  particularly  instrumental  in  for- 
warding the  march  of  improvement.  They  liave  estab- 
lished a  correct  nomenclature  of  fruits,  which,  from 
the  prevalence  of  provincial  names  and  other  circum- 
stances, had  previously  been  in  a  state  of  great  confu- 
sion. They  have  brought  into  general  notice  many 
good  varieties  heretofore  confined  to  particular  locali- 
ties. They  have  introduced  many  new  and  admirable 
sorts  from  abroad.  The  comparative  value,  too,  of 
numerous  fruits  and  culinary  vegetables  and  flowers 
has  been  correctly  appreciated,  and  those  which  were 
found  worthless  or  indifferent  have  received  the  merited 


244  PAKKS   AND    PLEASUKE-GKOUNDS. 

stamp   of  inferiority  and   rejection.      Besides  much 
work  of  this  kind  done  effectually,  the  Horticultural 
Society  of  London   has  sent  Botanical  collectors  to 
China,  Mexico,  and  other  imperfectly  explored  regions, 
and  by  their  agency  have  introduced  many  plants, 
both  useful  and  ornamental.     In  most  of  these  objects 
the  Caledonian  Horticultural  Society  has   zealously 
cooperated;    and  notwithstanding  the  less  propitious 
climate,  its  distance  from  the  center  of  government 
and  commerce,  and  other  difficulties  with  which  it  has 
had  to  contend,  it  has  been  eminently  successful  in  the 
promotion  of  gardening  in   Scotland.     Both  of  these 
societies,  as  well  as  othei-s  in  the  provinces,  have  con- 
tributed greatly  to  the  diffusion  of  new  and  approved 
kinds  of  fruits,  flowers,  and  vegetables,  by  the  distri- 
bution of  grafts,  cuttings,  and  small  specimen  parcels 
of  seeds.     And  we  must  not  omit  to  notice  the  bene- 
ficial effects  of  the  public  exhibitions  of  plants  and 
fruits  which  have  been  promoted  by  horticultural  soci- 
eties, and  generally  held  in  their  gardens.     The  prizes 
given  on  these  occasions  have  proved  a  great  stimulus, 
not  only  to  the  perfecting  of  fine  individual  specimens, 
but  also  to  the  improvement  of  the  general  crops  ;  and 
while  they  have  elicited  and  rendered  prominent  many 
cultivators  of  distinguished  talent,  they  have  been  the 
means  of  establishing  a  standard  of  excellence  in  refer- 
ence to  horticultural  productions  which  would  have 
been  considered  visionary  forty  years  ago.     In  many 
parts  of  the  country  every  considerable  village  and 
little  town  has  its  own  flower  and  fruit  shows ;  and 
when  it  is  considered  how  much  harmless  and  health- 
ful enjoyment  is  thus  afforded  to  all  classes  of  society, 
and  what  substantial  additions  are  made  to  the  people's 


LAYING-OUT  OF  HORTICULTURAL  GARDENS.  245 

food,  the  philanthropist  must  be  ready  to  approve  and 
rejoice. 

LAYixcr-orT  OF  Horticultural  Gardens. — In  the 
arrangement  of  these  gardens,  the  special  objects  to 
which  tbey  are  destined  must  be  kejDt  distinctly  in 
view.  "When  furnished  with  complete  appointments, 
they  include  divisions  for  culinary  vegetables,  fruit- 
trees,  forcing,  flowers,  shrubs,  etc.;  in  other  words, 
they  embrace  gardening  in  all  its  branches,  and  so  re- 
quire treatment  of  the  most  varied  description.  Our 
limits  forbid  us  to  enter  into  full  details;  we  shall, 
therefore,  suppose  that  a  suitable  locality  in  respect  to 
soil  and  situation  has  been  chosen,  and  shall  content 
ourselves  with  throwing  out  a  few  hints  which  may  be 
useful  to  persons  contemplating  work  of  this  kind. 

The  extent  of  such  a  garden  ought  to  be  a  matter 
of  primary  and  serious  consideration.  It  should  be 
first  of  all  ascertained  what  amount  of  expense  the 
average  resources  of  the  society  are  adequate  to  meet. 
Financial  difficulties  always  operate  most  injuriously 
on  institutions  of  this  kind,  as  they  impede  or  obstruct 
direct  experiment,  and  by  limiting  the  number  of 
workmen  employed,  embarrass  the  superintendents 
and  divert  them  from  their  proper  work.  Such  gar- 
dens ought  never  to  be  too  extensive ;  they  should 
rather  be  small  than  otherwise.  A  large  flower-garden, 
to  be  filled  with  beds  of  ordinary  annuals,  or  even 
common  florists'  flowers  which  have  been  cultivated 
perhaps  for  half  a  century,  is  wholly  unnecessary. 
"We  should  even  be  inclined  to  abridge  the  extent  of 
ground  sometimes  allotted  to  culinary  vegetables:  a 
few  plots  would  be  sufficient  to  cultivate  and  exhibit 
the  newer  sorts.     The  orchard-ground  must  always  be 


246  PAKKS   AND   PLEASURE-GEOUNDS. 

spacious,  but  perhaps  it  might  be  in  part  reduced  by 
grafting  two  or  three  sorts  on  one  stock,  and  by  the 
eradication  of  those  which  have  been  proved  to  be 
w^orthless.  Ample  room  should  also  be  secured  for 
a  collection  of  trees  and  shrubs,  particularly  the  latter, 
of  which  there  are  many  fine  species  not  generally 
known  in  private  gardens.  In  this  department  the 
horticultural  societies  have  already  done  good  service. 
The  Arboretum  in  the  garden  of  the  London  Society 
was  long  the  best  in  Britain,  though  it  must  now  yield 
the  palm  to  that  in  the  Royal  Gardens  at  Ivew.  Such 
collections  should  be  made,  if  possible,  to  take  the 
place  of  those  tawdry,  insipid,  promiscuous  shrubberies 
which  are  too  common  everywhere. 

We  should  further  be  disposed  to  recommend  the 
special  adaptation  of  a  garden  of  this  class  to  the 
peculiar  wants  of  the  locality  at  which  it  is  placed. 
It  is  evident  that  such  a  garden  at  Edinburgh  may  be 
made  a  shade  or  two  different  from  one  at  Exeter  or 
Cork.  In  Scotland  it  is  vain  to  plant  a  Chaumontel 
pear  as  a  standard,  or  a  black  Hamburg  vine  on  an 
open  wall;  experience  has  pronounced  sufficiently  on 
these  points  already ;  but  it  would  be  a  very  proper 
thing  to  form  a  complete  collection  of  the  fruit-trees 
which  are  found  to  be  suitable  for  the  climate;  and  it 
would  be  equally  proper  to  acquire  supplies  of  those 
new  varieties  which  might  be  expected  to  succeed  in 
that  country.  So  in  the  cider  districts  of  England,  an 
experimental  garden  might  well  be  devoted  to  the 
determination  of  the  relative  qualities  of  the  cider 
fruits,  and  to  the  promotion  of  that  improvement  of 
which  they  are  susceptible.  By  the  adoption  of  special 
aims  in  different  gardens,  something  like  a  division  of 


LAYIXG-OUT  OF  nOKTICULTUKAL  GARDENS.  247 

labor  might  be  attained,  valuable  knowledge  of  local 
peculiarities  might  be  secured,  and  needless  expense 
might  be  avoided.  At  the  same  time,  evei-y  one  will 
be  ready  to  desire  that  the  great  garden  at  Turnham 
Green,  which  is  maintained  by  the  affluent  London 
Society,  should  retain  its  general  destination  an<l  full 
complement  of  sectional  departments,  and  that  from 
the  influence  which  its  wealth,  science,  and  central 
position  fit  it  to  exercise,  it  should  continue  to  be  the 
connecting  link  of  all  such  gardens  in  the  Empire. 

In  every  case  a  considerable  space  of  lawn  should 
be  left  open  in  some  prominent  part  of  the  garden  for 
the  temporar}^  erection  of  tents,  stages,  and  other  ap- 
pliances of  those  flower-show  exhibitions  which  have 
been,  found  to  contribute  so  much  to  the  funds  and  to 
the  general  prosperity  of  the  societies.  These  shows, 
indeed,  have  proved  to  be  of  so  much  importance  that 
some  of  the  older  horticultural  gardens  have  been 
more  or  less  altered  to  admit  of  their  extension.  The 
space  thus  devoted  need  not  be  of  any  formal  shape, 
but  it  should  not  be  encumbered  with  too  many  par- 
terres or  figures  of  shrubs  and  trees.  It  should  com- 
municate  with  the  more  ornamental  parts  of  the  garden 
by  means  of  walks  and  lavrns,  in  order  to  extend  and 
diversify  the  promenades. 

Certain  of  the  minor  departments  of  these  gardens, 
such  as  the  culinary  vegetable  section,  the  propagating 
grounds,  and  the  forcing  frames  and  nursing  pits,  may 
be  appropriately  kept  within  small  inclosures  formed 
by  means  of  low  walls  or  hedges,  arrangements  that 
are  found  to  be  highly  convenient,  as  aflbrding  seclu- 
sion for  experiment  and  shelter  for  delicate  plants. 
These    inclosures    require   to   be    masked    externally. 


248  PARKS   AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

The  rest  of  the  garden  should  be  rather  open,  well 
provided  with  walks,  and  the  arboretum  and  flower- 
garden,  in  particular,  should  be  interspersed  and 
adorned  with  lawns  of  varying  size.  In  this  quarter 
there  should  be  a  close  approach  to  the  aspect  of  the 
private  pleasure-ground. 

The  decorated  grounds  should  be  ornamented  with 
plant-stoves,  conservatories,  and  green-houses  for  the 
growth  and  exhibition  of  the  rare  and  showy  exotics 
that  require  protection  or  artificial  heat.  The  proper 
distribution  and  arrangement  of  these  glazed  structures 
are  matters  of  primary  importance.  Perhaps  there 
is  a  tendency  to  mass  them  too  much  together.  "We 
do  not  disapprove  of  imposing  ranges  of  ornamental 
glass-houses  ;  at  the  same  time,  we  prefer  the  divided 
interest  of  groups  of  two  or  three  houses,  so  placed  as 
to  form  prominent  objects  on  the  principal  lawns. 
Perhaps  some  of  these  should  be  employed  to  lighten 
and  diversify  the  effect  presented  on  ordinary  occasions 
by  the  area  left  open  for  exhibitions ;  but  to  wall  in 
that  space  all  round  with  glazed  structures  we  think  in 
worse  taste  than  to  leave  it  open  altogether. 

Speaking  generally,  we  would  say  that  the  more 
decorated  parts  of  these  gardens  should  be  in  the 
highest  style  of  the  art,  and  should  combine  the  broad, 
winding,  and  varied  lawn  of  the  pleasure-ground,  with 
the  richly  grouped  beds  and  figures  of  the  flower-gar- 
den. 'We  may  add,  that  the  trees,  shrubs,  and  plants 
cultivated  should  not  be  mere  botanical  rarities.  Pos- 
sessed of  some  intrinsic  ornamental  properties  either 
of  elegance  of  form  or  beauty  of  flower,  they,  when 
new,  should  be  presented  in  considerable  masses,  in 
order  that  they  may  be  introduced  to  public  notice, 


HOETICULTtJRAL   MUSEUM.  249 

and  their  decorative  value  may  be  clearly  ascertained 
and  exhibited  to  the  eye.  This  is  a  function  properly 
belonging  to  horticultural  gardens  and  which,  it  must 
be  owned,  they  have  as  yet  imperfectly  discharged. 
The  horticultural  prints  teem  with  advertisements  of 
flowers,  fruits,  and  apparatus,  for  the  worth  of  which 
the  editors  can  not  possibly  be  made  responsible ;  and 
if  the  ill-advised  purchaser  trusts  implicitly  to  some 
of  these  seductive  statements,  he  will  soon  find  that 
he  is  paying  dear  for  his  exj^erience.  We  should  wish 
to  see  all  these  lauded  articles  tested  in  the  Horticul- 
tural Gardens,  and  marked  with  the  imjprimatur  of 
these  societies.  Surely  fair  dealers  would  find  it  for 
their  benefit  to  establish  such  a  practice  ;  at  least  the 
protection  of  the  public  requires  that  something  of  this 
kind  should  be  done. 

HoRTiccLTUEAL  MusEUM. — This  is  another  improve- 
ment which  we  earnestly  desire  to  see  introduced. 
Most  of  the  societies,  it  is  believed,  possess  drawings, 
and  models  of  fruits,  and  dried  collections  of  horticul- 
tural products  more  or  less  extensive ;  but  they  are 
seldom  so  arranged  as  to  be  easily  accessible  to  stran- 
gers, or  even  to  be  readily  consulted  by  those  in  chai'ge 
of  them.  Why  should  there  not  be  a  spacious  room, 
well  aired  and  lighted,  fitted  up  with  glass  cases,  etc., 
for  the  reception  of  objects  worthy  of  preservation? 
We  would  assemble  there  specimens  or  models  of  the 
fruits  and  vegetables  of  our  own  and  other  climes. 
We  would  have  an  herbarium  of  the  plants  and  shrubs 
that  have  occupied  a  jilace  of  distinction  in  the  flower- 
garden,  as  many  of  these,  through  the  influence  of 
fashion,  pass  away  and  are  forgotten.  Those  who 
have  examined  the  agricultural  museums  now  being 
11* 


250  PARKS    AND    PLEASUKE-GKOUNDS. 

collected  in  various  parts  of  the  empire  will  easily 
imagine  the  benefit  which  might  be  derived  from  kin- 
dred collections  in  public  gardens.  To  these  mtiseums 
we  would  recommend  the  addition  of  a  well-chosen 
horticultural  and  botanical  library,  composed  not  mere- 
ly of  treatises  which  ought  to  be  in  the  hands  of  every 
one,  but  of  boohs  of  reference,  such  as  the  works  of 
Lindley,  Loudon,  Diel,  Hooker,  De  Candolle,  Balfour, 
and  others,  to  which  should  be  added  the  various  hor- 
ticultural and  botanical  periodicals  of  the  day,  and 
man}'-  other  illustrated  works,  which  persons  of  mode- 
rate fortune,  unless  they  enjoy  peculiar  facilities  of 
access  to  public  libraries,  have  no  opportunities  of 
consulting.  There  might  also  be  a  collection  of  ele- 
mentary treatises  ^  the  instruction  of  the  operatives 
employed  in  the  gardens:  indeed,  such  a  library  has, 
with  praiseworthy  liberality,  been  formed  by  the  Hor- 
ticultural Society  of  London  for  the  benefit  of  the 
young  men  in  the  garden  at  Turnham  Gh'een.  It  may 
seem  more  connected  with  our  present  object  to  recom- 
mend the  keeping  of  a  register  of  observations  made 
from  time  to  time  in  the  garden.  In  this  book  we 
would  insert  all  the  judgments  formed  of  fruits  and 
flowers,  the  reception  of  every  new  plant,  with  its 
date,  the  rejection  of  every  worthless  article,  and  the 
reasons  for  the  same,  and  all  the  comparisons  of  pro- 
ducts made  in  respect  to  quantity  and  quality.  Selec- 
tions of  the  more  interesting  jDarts  of  this  information 
might  be  published  occasionally;  but  undoubtedly 
there  would  also  be  much  which,  though  it  might  not 
be  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  presented  to  the  eyes  of 
the  world,  might  yet  be  highly  worthy  of  preservation 


HOETICULTUKAL    MUSEUM.  251 

as  a  part  of  the  history  of  the  garden  and  of  hor- 
ticulture in  the  locality.  Under  the  present  system 
much  curious  matter  is  continually  lost.  An  aged  and 
experienced  curator  dies  every  now  and  then,  and  the 
whole  store  of  knowledge,  of  which  his  memory  was 
the  only  record,  passes  away. 

Kote. — Scarce  fledglings,  as  we  are,  in  horticultural 
attainment,  compared  with  the  people  of  England, 
Scotland,  and  Western  Europe,  where  so  much  wealth 
and  patronage  abounds,  we  are  modestly,  and  accord- 
ing to  our  opportunities,  diligently  following,  but  at  a 
far  distance,  in  the  track  which  may  lead  us  in  time 
to  matured  excellence  in  this  delightful  science,  and 
art.  When,  through  individual  exertion,  and  the 
combined  eflbrts  of  our  numerous  horticultural  soci- 
eties, we  shall  have  accomplished  the  principal  objects 
at  which  they  aim,  as  we  shall  to  a  good  degree, 
we  may  profit  by  the  sound  remarks  of  our  instruc- 
tor. They  are  conceived  in  truth,  and  decidedly  good 
taste. — Ed. 

(2.)  Zoological  Gardexs.  —  These  places  of  public 
resort,  though  but  recently  established,  have  already 
received  much  attention,  and  have  contributed  largely 
to  popular  amusement  and  instruction.  Formerly,  col- 
lections of  wild  beasts  were  immured  in  the  Tower  of 
London,  in  Exeter  Change,  and  in  other  confined 
localities,  or  at  most  were  carried  about  in  traveling 
caravans.  The  arrangements  of  the  menageries  in  the 
Jardin  des  Plantcs  at  Paris  probably  fii*st  suggested 
the  union  of  collections  of  living;  animals  with  gardens. 
This  plan,  at  least,  was  adopted  by  the  Zoological  So- 
ciety of  London,  and  it  has  been  subsequently  followed 


252  PARKS   AND    PLEASURK-GROUNDS. 

by  various  kindred  institutions  throughout  the  country. 
Of  course,  in  all  these  cases  the  accommodation  for 
the  animals  has  been  the  main  object,  and  the  garden 
only  an  accessory  appendage;  but  neatness  and  clean- 
liness are  the  qualities  which  we  niost  desire  to  find  in 
menageries,  and  M'ith  these  the  trimness  of  gardens 
sufficiently  accords.  Let  the  necessary  buildings  be 
tastefully  and  conveniently  arranged,  and  we  can  not 
conceive  a  more  appropriate  filling  up  of  the  jjicture 
than  that  supplied  by  lawns,  flowers,  shrubs,  and  trees. 
For  holiday  folks,  who  probably  form  a  majority  of 
those  who  frequent  zoological  gardens,  the  promenade 
afforded  by  the  neat  gravel  walks  and  well-shaven 
lawns  is  an  agreeable  addition  to  the  other  pleasures 
of  the  visit.  Certain  it  is,  at  least,  that  these  gardens 
have  been  among  the  most  popular  places  of  amuse- 
ment that  have  lately  come  into  vogue 

It  will  be  apparent  to  slight  consideration  that  the 
proper  style  for  a  zoological  garden  is  a  medium  between 
a  pleasure-ground  and  a  flower-garden ;  it  may  partake 
of  the  characters  of  both  in  difierent  places,  or  rather 
it  may  be  described  generally'  as  a  highly  ornamented 
pleasure-ground.  It  hardly  belongs  to  us  to  say  any 
thing  about  the  arrangement  of  the  buildings  for  the 
use  of  the  animals,  except  that  they  may  be  easily 
combined  so  as  to  form  picturesque  groups.  Of  course, 
certain  roads  must  be  formed  from  the  exterior  of  the 
garden  and  between  the  several  buildings,  so  as  to 
facilitate  carriage  and  transit.  Plantations  and  shrub- 
beries should  mask  these  roads  and  vail  other  deformi- 
ties. Pieces  of  artificial  water  may  be  constructed 
both  for  ornament  and  for  the  use  of  aquatic  fowls. 


ZOOLOGICAL    GARDENS.  253 

Walks  should  be  laid  down  so  as  to  afford  easy  com- 
munication between  the  vurioiis  departments  of  the 
garden.  Where  the  style  approaches  that  of  a  flower- 
garden,  it  should  be  of  the  mixed  flower-garden  de- 
scribed in  a  previous  chapter,  displaying  an  agreeable 
intermingling  of  shrubs  and  flowers.  Perhaps  flower- 
ing shrubs  and  a  mixture  of  evergreens  should  pre- 
dominate. We  are  of  opinion  that  any  thing  like 
excess  in  the  culture  of  flowers  is  here  out  of  place, 
both  as  requiring  an  ill-advised  expenditure,  and  as 
exciting  an  adventitious  interest.  Zoological  gardens 
have  recently  been  made  the  scenes  of  flower-shows : 
at  first  sight  this  may  seem  a  grotesque  and  incongru- 
ous combination,  but  in  jjractice  the  occasions  are 
pleasant  enough,  and  if  they  benefit  the  funds  of  these 
meritorious  institutions,  no  reasonable  objection  can 
be  made  to  them. 

Note. — As  every  thing  in  America  must  le  made  to 
jpay.,  we  do  not  see  why  a  zoological  garden,  rightly 
got  up,  may  not  be  made  a  permanent  "institution" 
of  this  country,  as  well  as  the  traveling  menageries. 
The  city  of  New  York  can  certainly  afford  one.  We 
trust  that  our  country  will  ere  long  be  provided  with 
an  establishment  which  has  proved  so  attractive  an 
object  of  interest  to  the  immense  population  of  Lon- 
don, as  well  as  to  the  innumerable  multitudes  who 
flock  thither  from  countries  abroad.  In  New  York, 
its  attractions  would  be  none  the  less,  and  in  the  "pay- 
ing" department,  far  more  productive  upon  the  capital 
employed  than  there ;  and  as  a  school  of  study,  and 
science,  the  benefits  of  a  zoological  garden  would  be 
unquestioned.     The   department  of  Natural   History 


254  PARKS   AND   PLEASUKE-GEOUXDS. 

embracing  the  varied  subjects  attached  to  an  insti- 
tution of  the  kind  is  one  of  exceeding  interest  to  all 
who  love  to  investigate  the  structure  of  animated 
nature;  and  the  opportunitv  thus  afforded  to  the  sci- 
entific inquirer,  would  be  a  fund  of  knowledge  to 
those  having  access  to  it,  as  yet  but  imperfectly  un- 
derstood in  this  country. — Ed. 


THE    Vlf.I.A.  200 


CHAPTER    XI. 

THE  VILLA. 

Introductory  Remarks. 

Sect.  I.    General  Properties  of  the  Villa  —  Tiie  Locality  —  The  9it€ 

Roads  —  Position  of  the  House  —  Stylo  and  Arrangement  of  the 
House. 

Sect.il  Laying-out  of  the  Grounds  of  a  Villa  —  Seclusion  —  The 
Approach  —  Kitchen-garden  —  Trees  and  Shrubs  —  Water  —  Lead- 
ing Varieties  of  Villa  Scenery —  The  Pleasure-ground  Villa  —  The 
Park  Villa. 

Pkobably  there  are  few  men,  not  possessed  of  an- 
cestral lands,  or  without  the  prospect  of  succeeding  to 
them,  and  who  betake  themselves  therefore  to  business, 
that  do  not  wish  and  hope,  in  their  outset,  to  realize 
60  much  wealth  as  will  enable  them,  in  the  decline  of 
life,  to  retire  to  some  comfortable  villa  near  their 
native  place,  or  in  some-  other  locality  to  which  they 
have  become  attached.  Such  visions  are  not  iinfre- 
quently  realized ;  and  the  desire  in  which  they  have 
originated  has  sometimes  led  to  the  amassing  of  larsre 
fortunes,  and  to  the  possession  of  extensive  estates 
provided  with  parks  and  pleasure-grounds.  But  even 
if  all  that  is  attained  is  the  villa,  still,  a  great  good 
may  have  been  reached.  Such  residences,  whether  as 
retirements  from  active  life,  or  occasional  retreats  from 
business,  or  the  dwellings  of  competence,  are  very 
generally  the  abodes  of  intelligence  and  refinement. 
As  a  whole,  they  are,  perliaps,  as  happy  homes  as 


266  PAKKS   AND    PLEASUEE-GE0UXD3. 

Britain  can  boast  of.  Hence  their  construction  and 
decoration  possess  an  interest,  and  invite  a  considera- 
tion, which  call  tor  careful  exposition  and  study. 

Taking  the  term,  residence^  to  denote  not  only  the 
house,  but  the  locale  occupied  by  the  proprietor  and 
employed  for  his  domestic  purposes,  the  villa  may  be 
described  as  a  small  residence,  embracing  the  whole 
of  the  property  laid  out  in  gardens  and  dressed  grounds ; 
or,  if  it  include  some  pieces  of  pasture-lands,  such 
only  as  are  of  a  limited  and  subsidiary  description. 
The  name,  mlla^  is  applied  to  places  of  considerable 
variety  in  dimensions  —  from  the  house  with  a  small 
plot  of  garden-ground  attached,  to  one  surrounded  by 
thirty  or  forty  acres  of  pleasure-ground  and  park. 
Some  mansions,  belonging  to  small  or  moderate-sized 
estates,  are,  iii  their  whole  character  and  arrangements, 
nothing  else  than  villas ;  but  it  is  not  usual  so  to  de- 
signate them ;  they  are  rather  said  to  be  laid  out  in 
the  villa  style,  though  the  distinction  is  perhaps  more 
imaginary  than  real.  In  a  suburban  district,  the  villa 
is  generally  surrounded  by  a  fence  of  sufficient  height 
to  exclude,  if  not  all  the  scenery  at  a  distance,  at 
least  most  of  it  in  the  immediate  neighborhood.  In 
the  country,  however,  and  particularly  when  attached 
to  a  small  estate,  it  will  depend  not  more  on  the  views 
connected  with  the  estate  itself,  than  on  the  prospects 
presented  by  the  surrounding  scenery.  Besides  its 
inferior  size,  the  villa  is  distinguished  by  its  superior 
keeping.  Its  style  may  be  more  ornamental,  and  its 
finish  ought  to  be  more  elaborated  and  more  carefully 
maintained,  than  is  commonly  deemed  necessary  in 
more  extensive  country  residences. 

Our  remarks  on  the  villa  may  be  arranged  under 


GENERAL   PROPERTIES   OF   THE    VILLA.  257 

two  heads ;  the  first  presenting  certain  general  and 
preliminary  considerations,  and  the  second  containing 
directions  for  the  laying-out  of  its  grounds. 

J^ote. — ^The  people  inhabiting  the  towns  of  the  North- 
ern United  States,  of  all  others  in  the  world,  are  villa- 
builders.  The  villa  appears  to  be  the  summum  honum 
of  worldly  desire,  in  the  way  of  ultimate  settlement 
in  life ;  and  they  are  usually  constructed  with  a  taste 
and  convenience  which,  in  very  many  instances,  em- 
body all  of  comfort  and  luxury  to  which  a  moderate 
family  need  aspire,  in  the  way  of  a  dwelling.  Erected 
on  fine  grounds  in  an  eligible  position,  they  combine 
all  the  requisites  for  leisure,  quietude,  and  ease  in  life, 
that  a  house  can  possibly  afford;  adding  the  advan- 
tages of  social  intercourse,  and  the  facilities  to  the 
enjoyment  of  compact  town  life  without  its  priva- 
tions, crowding,  and  inconveniences.  We  commend 
a  close  study  of  our  author's  succeeding  remarks  to 
the  reader. — Ed. 


Sect.  I. — General  Properties  of  the  Yilla. 

The  Locality. — There  are  certain  circumstances  of 
a  local  nature  whieli  are  of  much  consequence  to  the 
proprietor  of  a  villa.  If  he  possesses  that  taste  for 
society  which  is  common  to  all,  except  persons  of  re- 
cluse habits,  he  will  find  it  important  to  have  a  pleas- 
ant vicinage,  and  to  be  placed  near  a  respectable  and 
healthy  class  of  population.  When  the  villa  is  to  be 
formed  in  a  suburban,  or  semi-suburban  district,  it 
should,  if  possible,  be  set  down  between  the  city  and 


258  PARKS   A^D   PLEASURE-GBOimDS. 

the  points  from  which  the  prevailing  winds  blow. 
Westerly,  or  south-westerly  winds  are  probably  the 
most  common  in  these  islands  ;  and  therefore  the  best 
situations,  in  this  respect,  are  to  be  found  from  the 
Bouth-east  round  by  south  to  the  north-west  of  the  cit}'. 
If  easterly  winds  predominate,  the  preferable  sites  will 
be  on  the  reverse  half  of  the  compass;  that  is,  from 
north  by  east  to  south.  By  attending  to  this  principle, 
the  inhabitant  of  the  villa  will  live  in  purer  air  than 
he  would  otherwise  do,  and  will  reduce  the  nuisance 
necessarily  arising  from  the  smoke  of  the  city  to  its 
minimum.  For  the  same  reason,  the  vicinity  of  23ublic 
works  should  be  avoided.  Some  of  them  vitiate  the 
air  by  the  emission  of  chemical  vapors  :  all  are  largely 
productive  of  smoke ;  and,  not  to  speak  of  the  bustle 
which  they  create  on  the  roads,  present,  in  their  tall, 
staring  chimneys,  and  bulky,  unshapely  fabrics,  objects 
of  contemplation  by  no  means  agreeable  to  the  eye. 
Besides,  they  tend  to  pollute  the  sluggish  streams  that 
often  flow  past  them,  and  to  render  the  whole  neigh- 
borhood dirty  and  slovenly.  The  very  worst  locality 
of  all,  however,  is  that  near  the  general  outlet  of  the 
sewerage  of  a  city,  and  more  particularly  if  the  foul 
contents  are  applied  to  purposes  of  irrigation,  as  at 
Edinburgh.  It  may  be  added,  that  a  locality  adjacent 
to  a  poor  and  dirty  suburb  should  hardly  be  chosen. 
A  benevolent  man,  indeed,  will  not  fail  to  visit  fre- 
r[uently  such  abodes  of  poverty,  and  to  do  what  good 
he  can  in  them ;  but  he  will  not  find  his  benevolence 
increased  by  obtrusive  sights  of  misery,  or  by  the  im- 
portunities to  which,  by  his  proximity  to  such  scenes, 
he  is  sure  to  be  exposed. 

Note. — Happily,  the  American  villa  is  seldom  seen 


THE   SITE.  250 

amid  the  noisome  atmosphere  of  sewers,  chemical 
works,  or  liuge,  sooty  manutactories.  Some  of  our 
manufacturing  towns  boast  many  and  beautiful  resi- 
dences of  the  kind;  but  propelled,  as  the  machinery 
of  our  factories  usually  is,  by  water,  the  locality  of  the 
villa  is  usually  in  a  pure  atmosphere,  and  under  a  clear 
sky.  When  otherwise  situated,  as  in  the  vicinity  of 
our  coal  districts  and  iron  manufactories,  the  renuirks 
of  our  author  can  not  be  too  closely  followed. — En. 

The  SrrE. — Before  proceeding  to  select  a  site,  the 
future  proprietor  should  be  satisfied  tliat  he  has  fixca 
on  a  proper  locality,  and  on  a  neighborliood  of  easy 
access.  The  site,  however,  is  generally  much  less 
within  the  power  of  absolute  choice ;  probably  he  will 
find  the  best  already  occupied,  and  his  only  resource 
may  be  to  adopt  a  secondary  position,  or  to  seek  for  a 
better  in  another  district,  in  all  respects  not  so  desir- 
able. The  best  site  is  one  moderately  elevated,  with  a 
warm,  sunny  exposure.  We  say,  moderaUly  elevated ; 
and  this  quality  should  be  specially  attended  to  when 
the  general  range  of  the  surrounding  country  is  high ; 
for  though  some  sites,  from  their  elevation,  may  com- 
mand superior  views,  and  may  afford  comparative 
seclusion,  yet  these  advantages  may  be  more  than 
counterbalanced  l!Jy  their  increased  exposure  and  greater 
difficulty  of  access.  It  is  nevertheless  very  desirable 
that  there  should  be  some  tolerable  views  from  the 
windows  of  the  principal  rooms  of  the  house,  as  these 
very  much  j^romote  the  habitual  cheerfulness  of  tlie 
residence.  A  rounded  swell  or  gently-sloping  ridge  is 
often  a  happy  situation;  for,  though  it  may  occasion- 
ally suffer  from  high  winds,  it  will  enjoy  a  purer  and 
drier  atmosphere  than  is  to  be  foimd  lower  down  in 


260  PARKS    AND   PLEASUKE-GKOUNDS. 

the  valley.  We  do  not  object  to  flat  surfaces,  pro- 
vided they  are  formed  of  light,  porous  soils.  Deep 
clay  and  retentive  subsoils  ought,  by  all  means,  to  be 
avoided.  A  facility  for  perfect  drainage  ought  to  be 
regarded  as  an  indis])ensable  property  in  a  villa  resi- 
dence. The  soil  should  be  rather  light  than  otherwise, 
and  certainly  should  not  approach  to  strong  clay,  as 
the  latter  has  a  tendency  to  create  damp,  to  make  the 
climate  cold  and  the  garden  late,  to  prevent  the  walks 
from  drying  rapidly,  and  to  impart,  during  most  kinds 
of  weather,  a  raw,  uncomfortable  aspect  to  the  grounds. 
It  is  further  to  be  noted,  that  direct  and  immediate 
proximity  to  some  great  frequented  thoroughfare  is  fiir 
from  being  desirable;  for  in  such  places  the  dust, 
blown  from  the  public  road  in  dry  seasons,  often 
amounts  to  a  positive  nuisance. 

Note. — A  clay  soil  is  easy  to  drain,  and  then  it  is 
better  and  stronger,  for  vegetation  generally,  than  the 
light,  loamy,  sandy,  or  gravelly  soils  which  our  author 
so  highly  recommends.  Therefore,  we  should  not  re- 
gard a  clay  soil,  other  things  equal,  as  highly  objec- 
tionable. A  crowded  thoroughfare  is  to  be  avoided,  if 
possible ;  but  even  that  may  be  endured,  by  throwing 
the  house  well  back  from  the  street,  and  planting  a 
thick  belt  of  shrubbery  next  the  line-of  it.  Trees  and 
shrubbery  are  a  great  protection  from  the  dust  of 
highways,  arising  either  from  winds,  or  driving  over 
them. — Ed. 

Roads. — At  first  sight,^  the  reader  may  suppose  that 
the  villa  has  little  to  do  with  public  roads,  as  it  seldom 
requires  a  long  ajDproach,  and  may  seem  to  have  no 
other  connection  with  the  subject.  Such,  however,  is 
too  hasty  a  conclusion.     Public  roads  are  of  about  as 


POSITION    OF    THE    HOUSE.  261 

much  importance  to  a  villa  as  an  approach  is  to  a 
mansion-house  in  the  country.  Unless  the  roads  in  a 
district  are  well  formed  and  kept  in  good  repair,  most 
of  the  comfort  and  enjoyment  yielded  by  an  otherwise 
perfect  site,  will  be  in  great  measure  neutralized, 
"What  is  more  disagreeable  than  to  drive  or  wade 
through  a  rugged  lane  or  ill-kept  parish  road,  in  order 
to  reach  a  country  house?  To  persons  about  to  form 
residences  in  such  localities,  we  would  say,  Be  not 
deceived  with  the  idea  that  these  roads  are  easily  ame- 
liorated ;  the  public  boards  who  have  the  management 
of  them  are  movSiJ^v^ith  difficulty,  even  by  individuals 
who  are  members  of  them.  Before  fixing  on  a  locality 
or  site,  see  at  least  that  there  are  well-frequented  roads 
in  the  neighborhood ;  for  if  they  are  not  in  good  repair 
at  present,  it  may  be  hoped  that  they  will  not  be  al-' 
lowed  to  continue  so.  Easy  access  to  public  convey- 
ances is  also  an  advantage  not  to  be  o\'erlooked ;  for, 
though  a  gentleman  may  use  his  own  carriage,  some 
of  his  family  or  his  servants  may  find  it  convenient  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  jjublic  means  of  traveling. 
Even  for  friends  and  other  visitants,  twenty  minutes' 
distance  from  a  railway  station  may  afibrd  a  pleasant 
morning  or  evening  walk. 

Position  of  the  House  in  relation  to  the  other 
PARTS  OF  THE  RESIDENCE. — After  arrangements  have 
been  made  for  the  purchase  or  possession  of  the  ground, 
the  proprietor  generally  proceeds  to  fix  the  spot  on 
which  he  is  to  set  down  his  house;  and  the  plan  is 
often  adopted,  and  the  buildings  are  sometimes  erected, 
before  any  attention  is  paid  to  the  laying-out  of  the 
grounds.  This  is  a  very  grievous  mistake.  The  plan 
of  the  house,  its  position,  and.  the  designing  of  the 


262  PARKS    AND    TLEASUEE-GKOUNDS. 

gardens  and  dressed  grounds,  should  be  considered 
together,  and  mutually  adjusted  to  each  other.  "When 
the  architect  is  the  only  person  consulted  about  the 
position  of  the  house,  unless  he  has  a  more  than  ordi- 
nary knowledge  of  landscape-gardening,  the  only  ele- 
ment he  will  take  into  consideration  will  be  the 
securing  of  a  site  which,  according  to  his  ideas,  will 
best  exhibit  his  powers  of  architectural  design.  Most 
probably  the  house  will  be  so  placed,  and  the  approach 
so  contrived,  as  to  make  a  decided  impression  on  stran- 
gers and  other  visitors.  The  place,  indeed,  will  often 
be  little  more  than  an  inclosed  appr^ji^h  to  a  house  in 
the  center,  or  perhaps  even  in  an  extreme  corner  of 
the  little  domain.  It  ought  to  be  r.emembered,  that  a 
house  is  always  most  effectively,  and  certainly  to  its 
inmates  most  agreeably  seen,  when  it  is  so  placed  as 
to  enable  the  grounds  to  be  decorated  to  the  greatest 
advantage.  In  practice,  we  have  often  felt  the  loss 
arising  from  the  absence  of  combined  arrangement; 
we  have  often  been  mortified  to  think  that  the  result 
of  our  best  endeavors  has  been  greatly  inferior  to  what 
it  might  have  been,  had  the  position  of  the  house  been 
more  happily  selected,  or  could  it  have  been  altered 
even  to  the  distance  of  a  few  feet ;  and  any  error  com- 
mitted in  this  way  we  have  found  the  more  difiicult  to 
repair,  or  even  modify,  the  smaller  the  extent  of  the 
place.  The  position  of  the  house  should  be  such  as 
not  only  to  be  of  easy  external  access,  but  to  impart  to 
it  a  considerable  degree  of  seclusion.  The  internal 
road,  or  approach,  should  not  be  allowed  to  traverse 
much  of  the  grounds.  The  windows  of  the  principal 
rooms  should  command  the  best  portion  of  the  inner 
scenery,  and  any  thing  worth  looking  at  without,  that 


POSITION    OF  THE    HOUSE.  263 

can  be  conveniently  brought  into  view.  Tlicse  con- 
ditions will  generally  place  the  house  at  no  great  dis- 
tance from  what  may  be  called  the  entrance-boundary. 
In  all  villa  residences,  whether  large  or  small,  such  a 
position  of  the  house  will  enable  the  proprietor  to  form 
a  more  varied  disposition  of  his  grounds,  thaii  if  it 
were  set  down  in  the  center,  or  toward  the  more  dis- 
tant extremity.  In  a  small  place,  the  designer  will,  on 
this  plan,  have  more  space  for  useful  and  ornamental 
purposes,  while  in  a  larger  one  he  will  be  able  to  make 
a  more  compact  arrangement  and  a  more  felicitous 
combination  of  his  dressed  grounds,  gardens,  and 
offices,  as  well  as  to  introduce  a  larger  amount  of 
park  and  woodland  scenery  than  could  otherwise  be 
obtained. 

In  support  of  these  views,  we  might  instance  some 
of  the  finest  residences  near  London,  Sion  House  and 
Holland  House,  though  not  mere  villas,  exhibit  no 
aifectation  of  long  approaches.  At  Bedford  Lodge, 
Campden  Hill,  a  suburban  villa  of  the  Duchess  of 
Bedford,  the  house  is  separated  from  the  lane  which 
leads  to  it  merely  by  the  gate  and  entrance-court,  and 
wall  inclosing  the  latter.  At  Mrs.  Lawrence's  villa 
of  Ealing  Park,  celebrated  for  its  highly  decorated 
garden,  pleasure-grounds,  and  beautiful  little  park,  from 
the  proximity  of  the  house  to  the  road  by  which  is 
the  principal  access  to  the  place,  a  very  short  approach 
is  all  that  is  necessary. 

All  these  examples  show  the  value  put  on  internal 
space  by  the  owners  of  these  residences.  It  may  be 
said,  indeed,  that  these  are  only  proofs  of  the  desire 
to  have  room  in  the  interior  for  flower-grounds  and 
shmbberies,   and   therefore   they   were   likely   to   be 


264  PAKKS   AND   TLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

adopted  by  persons  having  a  taste  for  floriculture. 
That  may  be  partly  true;  but  the  ground  occupied  in 
them  by  flower-gardens  and  pleasure-grounds  could  as 
readily  have  been  applied  to  the  production  of  rural 
scenery  in  general,  and  therefore  may  be  equally  re- 
commended to  those. who  have  no  special  predilection 
for  plants.  Certainly,  to  place  the  house  near  the 
entrance-boundary  is  the  most  effectual  method  of 
obtaining  the  seclusion  which  every  one  wishes  in  the 
country,  and  securing  space  for  lawns,  kitchen-garden, 
orchard,  pasture-fields,  or  whatever  else  a  man  may 
set  his  heart  on.  Any  thing,  almost,  seems  in  better 
taste  than  an  exaggerated  and  ostentatious  approach 
contrived  for  the  purpose  of  showing  off  to  strangers 
the  columns  and  jDilasters  and  fine  proportions  of  the 
house. 

Note. — AYe  have  scarce  a  word  to  add  beyond  the 
sensible  and  fitting  remarks  of  our  author,  other  than 
to  say,  that  the  designs  of  the  architect  should  be  sub- 
ordinate to  the  plan  of  the  grounds,  and  the  planta- 
tions upon  them.  And  iu  the  construction  of  all,  the 
proprietor,  in  -getting  them  up,  should  know  exactly 
what  will  please  his  own  taste,  and  what  he  wants  of 
his  villa  after  it  is  built.  In  the  oceupation  of  the 
villa,  wants  and  tastes  differ  so  w^idely,  that  w^hat 
would  please  one  would  ill  suit  another,  yet  each  l)e 
an  excellent  house  in  its  way.  The  purpose  of  the 
occupant,  in  fact,  should  be  the  expression  of  the  villa, 
as  much  as  in  a  building  for  any  other  object.  Pur- 
suit, inclination,  mode  of  life,  considerations  touching 
the  circumstances  of  one's  family,  their  social  rela- 
tions—  all,  should  measurably  govern  the  internal  ar- 
rangement of  the  house,  and  in  some  cases,  its  locality 


STYLE  AKD  AKKANGKMENT  OF  THE  HOUSE.    265 

within  the  indosure ;  keeping  in  view,  hov/ever,  an 
avoidance  of  incongruity  in  what  would  mar  its  ex- 
ternal etfect,  a!id  injure  its  value  to  one  of  like  tastes 
and  circumstances. 

It  is  well  to  note,  that  your  retired  Englishman  is  a 
different  man,  both  in  liimself,  and  in  Ijis  family,  from 
the  American.  The  Englishman  withdraws  into  his 
household  walls,  from  his  office,  or  his  counting-room, 
and  dinner  ends  the  day  with  him  —  out  of  doors.  The 
American  sallies  out  to  his  place  of  business  after  his 
midday  meal,  returns  to  his  home  for  '-  tea,"  and  walks 
out  in  the  sunset  and  twilight  to  look  over  his  grounds, 
or  enjoys  with  his  family  an  evening  on  the  veranda. 
Climate  measurably  forms  the  tastes  and  habits  of 
each ;  and  each  will  build  to  comport  with  his  own 
predilections,  and  humor.  Thus,  the  one  will  place 
the  windowless  and  doorless  walls  of  his  house  close 
upon  the  street,  with  a  forbidding  frown  to  the  passer- 
by, while  the  hidden  interior  grounds  are  reserved  for 
the  sole  enjoyment  of  his  family  and  friends.  The 
other  throws  the  open,  dressy  front  of  his  house  to  the 
public  gaze,  and  lays  the  tastiest  portion  of  his  lawn, 
or  garden,  out  for  the  world  to  look  upon.  Educated 
to  the  latter,  the  American  will  differ  materially  in  his 
conclusions  from  our  author,  who,  with  the  generality 
of  his  countrymen,  think  it  to  be  none  of  the  world's 
business  how  they  live,  or  what  they  do  inside  of  their 
own  castle  inclosure. — Ed. 

Style  and  Auraxgement  of  the  House. — ^These  are 
subjects  which  have  probably  occupied  the  attention 
of  a  gentleman  who  has  resolved  to  form  for  himself  a 
suburban  residence,  even  before  he  has  taken  any  steps 
to  procure  a  site  in  a  particular  localit}-.  Examinino- 
12  ° 


266  PAEKS    AA'D    PLEASUKE-GRbUNDS. 

tlie  villas  of  his  friends,  one  or  other  of  which  he  may 
be  desirous  of  copying,  or  all  of  which  he  may  wish 
to  differ  from  as  much  as  possible,  he  may  be  rash 
enough  to  make  up  his  mind,  as  to  his  future  opera- 
tions, from  reasons  totally  irrespective  of  the  circum- 
stances which  should  be  permitted  to  modify,  if  not 
determine,  his  choice.  We  would  counsel  him  to  leave 
the  stj'le  and  arrangement  of  his  house  open  questions 
till  he  has  ascertained  the  nature  and  extent  of  the 
residence  he  requires,  and  till  he  has  fixed  on  the  site 
which  it  is  to  occupy,  as  he  will  then  be  in  a  better 
position  to  judge  how  various  matters  connected  with 
them  should  be  settled.  In  offering  some  remarks  on 
this  subject,  we  do  not  intend  to  give  any  special  direc- 
tions in  regard  to  either  the  style  or  the  internal  ar- 
rangements, except  so  far  as  these  should  obviously  be 
governed  by  their  relation  to  the  grounds  by  which 
the  house  is  surrounded. 

Of  course  the  style  of  architecture,  in  villas  of  even 
inconsiderable  pretensions,  wnll  fall  to  be  determined 
by  the  peculiar  taste  of  the  proprietor,  or  will  be 
swayed  by  the  fashion  of  the  time,  or  the  prevailing 
practice  of  the  district.  We  have  seen  a  few  fine 
specimens  in  the  Italian  or  the  revived  antique  style, 
but  it  may  be  doubted  whether  they  are  altogether 
suited  to  our  colder  climate,  and  the  accessory  scenery 
in  which  we  can  array  them.  Probably  we  have  more 
numerous  instances  of  a  felicitous  employment  of  the 
Elizabethan,  or  perpendicular  Gothic  style,  as  it  is 
sometimes  called.  We  have  generally,  liowever,  been 
impressed  with  a  certain  diminutive  look  presented  by 
detached  buildings  of  this  class.  To  be  effective,  they 
must  be  massive  to  a  degree  which  materially  increases 


STYLE   AND    AKEAK-GEMENT   OF   THE    HOUSE.        267 

their  expense.    For  small  or  moderate  villa  residences, 
the  most  suitable  style,  we  humbly  think,  is  one  or 
other  of  those  forms  usually  called  cottages :  and  as 
there  is  a  great  variety  of  these,  an  architect  can  be 
at  no  loss  in  furnishing  or  suggesting  such  a  number 
of  designs  as  will  afford  materials  for  a  good  selection. 
The  varied  outlines  and  low  elevations  of  houses  in 
the  cottage  style  harmonize  better  with  the  limited 
scenerj^  of  a  small  residence  than  those  huge  stjuare 
masses  of  brick  or  stone  and  mortar  which  are  fre- 
quently seen  overlooking,  and  as  it  were  overpowering 
a  place  of  three  or  four  acres.    The  affectation  of  Gre- 
cian architecture  has  generally  led  to  a  tame  unifor- 
mity in  villa  mansions.    The  pattern  followed  in  many 
cases  is,  with  some  slight  variations,  the  street  house, 
that  is,  a  house  with  a  main  door  in  the  center,  and  a 
dining-room  and  drawing-room  on  each  side  of  it.    So 
long  as  this  fashion  prevails,  there  can  be  little  hope 
of  improving  small   residences.      Except  in   special 
circumstances,  one   or  both  of  the   principal  rooms 
above  mentioned  should  be  on  the  side  of  the  house 
opposite  to  that   in  which  the  jjrincipal  entrance  is 
situated ;  or,  if  this  cannot  be  effected,  they  ought  to 
be  in  a  line  at  right  angles  to  the  main-door  front.    It 
is  indeed    convenient  to  have  a  window  toward  the 
entrance  for  the  inspection  of  approaching  visitors ; 
but  that  can  be  easily  accomplished  by  directing  one 
a  id  of  the  dining-room  or  parlor  to  that  side  of  the 
house.     In  suburban  residences,  it  is  desirable  that 
the  public  rooms  should  command  the  whole  or  the 
greater  part  of  the  decorated  grounds.     The  drawing- 
room  will  occupy  th&  best  position,  followed  by  the 
parlor,  dining-room,  and  library  in  succession,  each, 


268  PARKS    AND    PLEASUEE-GEOUNDS. 

if  possible,  having  some  advantage  of  its  own,  though 
in  an  inferior  degree.  The  proper  position  of  a  con- 
servatory or  green-house  is  in  connection  with  the 
drawing-room,  and  commnnicating  with  it  bj  a  glass 
door;  it  will  thus  not  only  be  an  object  of  interest  in 
itself,  but  it  will  form  an  extension  of  the  drawing- 
room,  and  wull  afford  an  agreeable  lounge  in  wet 
W'Cather.  For  this  purpose  the  passage  ought  to  be 
roomy  and  unencumbered.  In  green-houses  this  con- 
venience is  too  often  neglected,  and  the  floor  is  over- 
crowded with  stages  and  shelves  for  the  reception  of 
2:)lants.  A  plant-house  of  easy  access,  with  wide  pas- 
sages, and  a  smaller  number  of  well-grown  plants, 
may  be  tenanted  by  objects  highly  worthy  of  admira- 
tion, and  will  prove  a  most  pleasant  adjunct  to  a 
drawing-room.  If  the  conservatory  or  green-house 
can  not  be  united  to  this  room,  another  position  may 
probably  be  found  for  it  in  connection  Avith  some  of 
the  other  public  rooms.  A  green-house  of  all  work, 
as  it  is  called  —  that  is,  a  glazed  house  for  the  general 
protection  and  propagation  of  plants  —  should  not  be 
immediately  accessible  from  the  mansion,  as  it  can  not 
be  kept  in  sufficient  order  to  warrant  such  proximity. 
Its  place  should  be  in  the  kitchen-garden,  or  on  the 
edge  of  the  flower-garden. 

It  will  be  inferred  from  what  has  been  stated  above, 
that  the  entrance-front  of  the  house  should,  other  things 
being  equal,  be  placed  toward  that  direction  which  is 
least  favored  in  point  of  view,  or  where  there  is  litt.e 
or  no  beauty  to  lose.  We  do  not  mean  that  the  pr  n- 
cipal  door  should  be  thrust  into  some  obscure  corner, 
but  that  it  should  occupy  a  secondary  position  in  rela- 
tion to  the  grounds  and  the  public  rooms.    In  that  case 


^       STYLE   AND   ARRAKGEMENT   OF   THE    HOUSE.        269 

the  drawing-room  front  will  receive  the  chief  attention 
of  the  arcliitect.  In  some  of  the  best-laid-out  villa 
residences  that  we  have  seen,  the  main  door  faces  an 
adjacent  boundary  wall  of  considerable  height,  and  is 
separated  from  it  merely  by  a  graveled  court  of  suffi- 
cient extent  to  afford  room  for  the  turning  of  a  carriage. 
lu  other  well  constructed  places  this  court  is  wanting, 
and  its  place  is  occupied  with  flower-beds  and  shrub- 
beries, with  a  covered  way  communicating  with  the 
main  door  at  one  end,  and  with  the  entrance-gate  in 
the  boundary  wall  at  the  other.  Of  course,  in  this 
arrangement,  carriages  are  left  on  the  outside  alto- 
gether. A  small  door  at  the  end  of  the  house  opening 
on  a  back  court  or  road  between  the  kitchen  and  stable- 
offices  is  used  when  it  is  needful  to  brino;  a  carriaffe 
close  to  the  house.  A  kitchen-court  should  be  formed 
at  one  end  or  side  of  the  house ;  and  if  this  is  the  only 
court  that  is  necessary,  and  the  house  is  near  enough 
to  the  boundary,  it  may  be  brought  out  to  the  external 
wall.  When  stables  are  required,  they  may  be  placed 
in  connection  with  the  kitchen-court,  or  if  there  be 
room  and  access,  they  may  be  built  at  a  little  distance 
along  the  boundary  wall,  with  a  separate  entrance,  for 
example,  in  a  corner  of  the  property.  The  respective 
positions  of  these  courts  must  vary  with  that  of  the 
house  itself  in  reference  to  the  other  parts  of  the  resi- 
dence; but  they  should  never  occupy  more  than  one 
end  or  side  of  tiie  house,  and  should  leave  the  remain- 
der of  it  to  be  surrounded  by  the  ornamental  grounds. 
To  these  apparently  minor  points  we  solicit  the  readers 
earnest  attention,  as  success  in  these  arrangements, 
which  are  very  apt  to  be  overlooked  at  first,  has  a  most 
material  eft'ect  on  the  general  result. 


270  PAEKS   AND   PLEASUKE-GEOTJlfDS.  ^ 

JVote. — If  there  be  a  minor  vice  in  which  the  Ameri- 
can is  prone  to  indulge  in  the  way  of  monej-spending, 
it  is  that  of  over-building.  Not  that  he  builds  too  well, 
too  substantially,  too  conveniently ;  but  he  builds  too 
pretentiously,  and  too  much.  It  is  needless  to  particu- 
larize, but  the  fact  readily  occurs  to  any  man  who  un- 
derstands the  real  properties  which  a  dwelling  requires. 
It  is  not  uncommon  to  see  a  house  with  more  filagree 
and  gingerbread  work  upon  the  top  of  it,  (which  is  of 
no  possible  use  whatever,  either  in  the  way  of  orna- 
ment or  finish,  but  an  absolute  damage  to  the  whole 
structure  by  exposing  it  to  decay,)  than  would,  at  the 
same  cost,  finish  half  the  rooms  within  it.  Any  quan- 
tity of  meaningless  gables,  turrets  and  battlements 
are  stuck  up  by  way  of  imitating  certain  ancient  styles 
of  architecture,  and  which,  in  their  paltry  dimensions, 
are  only  a  burlesque  upon  the  grand  old  structures 
they  thus  attempt  to  copy.  These  are  termed  Gothic, 
Tudor,  or  Elizabethan.  Others  are  seen  having  high, 
shallow  porticoes,  with  massive  columns  supporting  the 
gable  end  of  the  house,  by  way  of  pediment,  giving  to 
the  front  neither  shade,  shelter,  nor  protection,  but  ex- 
posing a  wide,  glaring  front,  looking,  in  fact,  more  like 
a  building  for  public  uses  than  a  private  dwelling. 
These  may  be  called  Grecian,  Moorish,  or  Eoman- 
esque  —  all  false  in  style,  as  comporting  with  the  idea 
of  snugness,  coL"'fort,  and  really  good  taste —  features 
which  a  dwelling-house  of  any  character  should  always 
express.  In  the  first  category,  of  the  Gothic,  and 
others,  every  essential  feature  may  be  sacrificed  to 
give  a  bay  window  in  the  first,  or  an  oriel  window  in 
the  second  story  a  conspicuous  front,  while  the  main 
entrance-door,  which  should  in  all  cases  be  shown,  is 


H      6TYLK    AND    ARKAXCi.'jII^XT   OF   TIIK    HOUSE.        271 

tucked  awaj  in  some  bj-corner  where  the  family  and 
its  guests  must  apparently  sneak  afound  some  project- 
ing angle  into  it  for  fear  of  observation.  In  the  other, 
every  thing  else  is  sacrificed  to  a  showy  entrance-door 
with  its  flashy  dressings,  and  a  splendid  approach. 
The  architect  of  true  taste  will  do  neither.  lie  vrill 
take  a  medium  course,  and  ^how  that  his  dwelling  has 
both  an  approach  and  a  front  door,  and  give  his  parlors 
and  principal  rooms  a  good  position  to  command,  each 
in  their  own  character,  a  proper  view  of  the  most  eli- 
gible points  belonging  to  them.  Climate  must  some- 
what govern  in  all  these  arrangements,  and  as  our  au- 
thor writes  for  the  humid,  cloudy  skies  of  Britain,  we 
differ  somewhat  from  his  recommendation  of  throwing 
the  main  entrance-door  into  a  "  secondary  position  in 
relation  to  the  grounds  and  the  public  rooms."  In 
American  climates  the  principal  door  should  be  seen 
at  once  by  everj^  one  who  approaches  the  house,  and 
the  approach  to  it  be  bold  and  unmistakable.  A 
veranda  to  a  villa  we  M-ould  always  have,  let  the  style 
of  building  be  what  it  may  ;  and  this  veranda  should 
not,  unless  for  some  extraordinary  purpose,  such  as 
commanding  a  surpassingly  fine  view,  or  sheltering 
some  exposed  part  of  the  house,  be  carried  above  the 
first  story.  It  should  be  broad,  never  less  than  ten 
feet  for  a  substantial  villa,  and  in  some  cases  twelve. 
A  narrow,  pinched  veranda  is  a  pretense  only,  and 
should  never  be  built.  For  all  useful  objects  and  ap- 
peai-ance,  the  house  is  better  without  it. 

Stablos,  and  stable-yards,  and  the  approaches  lead- 
ing to  them,  should  be  thrown  as  far  from  the  house 
as  due  convenience,  and  the  area  of  the  grounds  will 
admit.    Stables  breed  innun:!erable  flies  in  hot  weather. 


272  PARKS    AND    PLEASUEE-GfiOUNDS. 

and  if  near  the  house,  the  hitter  become  an  intolerable 
pest.  This,  and  the  odors  created  by  them,  should 
be  well  considered  in  whatever  relates  to  their  loca- 
tion.— Ed. 


Sect.  II. — The   Laying-out   of   the   Grounds   of  a 

YlLLA. 

We  take  np  this  subject,  in  the  second  place,  be- 
cause the  execution  of  the  works  which  it  embraces  ia 
generally  postponed  till  the  completion  of  the  house 
and  offices.  "We  would  again,  however,  insist  on  the 
expediency  of  obtaining  a  plan  of  the  grounds  along 
with  the  plan  of  the  house  ;  as  very  much  of  the  effect 
of  both  will  depend  on  their  mutual  adjustment.  In 
a  v.-ork  of  limited  extent,  like  the  present,  it  would  be 
inconsistent  with  the  design  in  view  to  give  formal  and 
detailed  directions  for  the  laying-out  of  villa  residences. 
It  is  evident  that  the  designs  must  vary  considerably 
alone:  with  the  diversified  dimensions  and  surfaces  on 
which  they  are  to  be  executed.  At  the  same  time, 
the  general  principles  involved  in  the  designing  of 
parks  and  pleasure-grounds  will  regulate  the  environs 
of  the  house,  proper  allowance  and  modification  being 
made  for  the  more  limited  extent  of  the  latter.  The 
grounds  of  the  villa  should,  generally  speaking,  pre- 
sent a  miniature  examj^le  of  the  finest  portions  of  the 
pleasure-grounds  and  park.  Its  scenery,  indeed,  may 
partake  more  or  less  of  either  of  these,  or  may  com- 
bine the  character  of  both ;  in  other  words,  we  may 
have  the  pleasure-ground  villa  or  the  park  villa,  or  a 
union  of  the  two  varieties.     The  peculiar  character  to 


SECLUSION.  273 

be  elicited  must  be  determined  by  the  taste  of  tlie  pro- 
prietor and  a  due  consideration  of  the  nature  of  the 
ground.  While,  then,  we  would  refer  the  reader  to 
the  earlier  part  of  this  work,  we  would  offer  some 
special  remarks  in  the  way  of  aiding  the  application 
of  the  principles  already  inculcated.  These  may  fall 
appropriately  under  the  following  heads  : 

(1.)  Seclusion. — This  is  a  quality  more  or  less  de- 
sirable in  all  small  residences  ;  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
large  cities,  it  may  be  regarded  as  indispensable.  Of 
course  it  does  not  consist  in  the  exclusion  of  light  and 
air;  neither  does  it  suppose  the  shutting-out  of  fine 
views,  whether  at  hand  or  at  a  distance.  It  is  rather 
the  protection  of  the  family  from  that  exposure  to  pub- 
lic gaze  which  would  prevent  them  from  using  any 
part  of  their  grounds  as  freely  and  comfortably  as  they 
would  their  drawing-room.  A  certain  amount  of 
privacy,  at  least,  is  essential  to  that  rural  feeling  which 
is  a  principal  charm  in  retirement  from  the  bustle  of 
city  life.  Some  individuals,  indeed,  seem  to  have  a 
particular  fancy  for  displaying  their  flower-beds  and 
lawns  to  the  eyes  of  the  public ;  a  taste,  we  humbly 
think,  more  suited  to  hotel  establishments  than  to  the 
abodes  of  private  families.  We  would  have  the  greater 
portion  of  the  villa  grounds  to  be  possessed  of  the 
characters  of  complete  seclusion.  At  the  same  time, 
the  error  arising  from  the  excess  of  this  quality — the 
dull,  gloomy  insipidity  caused  by  over-planting  and  an 
over-affectation  of  privacy  —  is  to  be  carefully  guarded 
against.  On  level  or  gently-sloping  surfaces,  the  pro- 
per amount  of  seclusion  may  generally  be  obtained  by 
building  the  boundary  walls  from  eight  to  ten  feet 
high.  On  surfaces  with  a  considerable  declivitv,  such 
12* 


27-i  PARKS    AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

walls  will  be  found  insufficient ;  and  as  no  consider- 
able addition  can  be  made  to  their  height,  nor  indeed, 
if  added,  would  prove  effectual,  the  object  aimed  at 
must  be  attained  by  planting  trees  and  shrubs,  whicli 
will  have  to  grow  for  several  years  before  they  afford 
the  desired  shelter.  As  the  size  of  villa  residences 
increases,  the  difficulties  in  regard  to  privacy  dimin- 
ish, as  there  is  room  for  enlarged  masses  of  trees  and 
shrubs,  and  the  whole  place  naturally  assumes  the 
character  of  a  common  country  residence. 

(2.)  The  Approach. — As  remarked  in  the  previous 
section  of  this  chapter,  small  residences  seldom  require 
an  approach  of  any  great  length.  The  smaller  the 
quantity  of  the  ground  occupied  in  this  way,  tlie 
greitter  will  be  the  extent  capable  of  being  devoted  to 
useful  and  ornamental  purposes.  AYe  do  not  say  that 
the  approach  to  a  small  residence  may  not  be  made  iu 
some  measure  ornamental ;  but  in  its  formation,  its 
peculiar  use  ought  to  be  principally  kept  in  view,  and 
any  decoration  connected  with  it  should  be  made  sub- 
sidiary to  the  adornment  of  the  other  j^arts  of  the 
grounds.  We  should  be  disposed  to  line  them  with 
groups  of  shrubs,  or  to  screen  them  with  hedges  of 
evergreens,  so  that  they  should  not  interfere  with  the 
general  privacy  of  the  place.  It  will  be  found  that 
the  approach  is  seldom  used  as  a  walk  or  lounge  by 
the  members  of  the  family,  even  when  it  is  not  ex- 
posed to  the  external  world.  In  a  former  page  it  was 
stated  that  in  some  admirable  villas  there  is  no  ap- 
proach, in  the  proper  sense  of  the  word  ;  that  its  place 
is  sometimes  taken  by  a  graveled  court  or  covered 
way;  and  without  doubt  the  advantages  of  such  ar- 
rangements, if  they  do  not  supersede  the  necessity  of 


THI-:  ArnioAciT. 


an  approach  altogether,  certainly  reduce  it  to  a  niiiu- 
mum.  Of  course,  such  expedients  can  be  adopted 
only  in  favorable  circumstances.  There  may  be  ele- 
ments in  the  size  of  tlie  place,  or  in  the  slope  of  tlie 
ground,  or  in  the  position  of  the  most  favorable  site, 
which  demand  an  approach  in  the  ordinary  form  ;  still 
the  line  leading  from  the  entrance-lodge  to  the  house 
should,  without  falling  into  a  straight  line,  be  as  short 
as  possible.  Passing  the  entrance-gate  at  riglit  angles, 
or  nearly  so,  to  the  boundary  wall,  it  should  proceed 
with  such  a  moderate  curve  or  sweep  as  will  place  the 
side  of  the  cai-riage  abreast  of  the  main  door.  The 
approach  should  never  be  carried  across  the  entrance- 
front  before  reaching  the  door  of  the  house,  unless  the 
ground  is  so  steep  as  to  render  the  formation  of  a  road 
with  an  easy  inclination  otherwise  impracticable.  A 
lodge  may  sometimes  be  a  necessary  appendage  to  the 
entrance-gate,  and  that  is  a  sufficient  reason  for  a 
moderate  prolongation  of  the  approach.  Certain  fine 
views,  or  other  advantages,  carrying  the  house  con- 
siderably into  the  interior  of  the  territory,  may  makci 
a  similar  demand;  still,  it  should  be  an  object  steadily 
kept  in  view,  that  on  this  account  there  should  be  as 
little  intersection  of  the  grounds  as  possible.  When 
the  whole  place  approaches  the  form  of  a  parallelo- 
gram, the  gateway  and  lodge  may  be  placed  in  one 
corner,  and  the  approach  may  lall  into  a  straight  line, 
or  form  an  avenue  along  the  boundary,  till  i^  is  neces- 
sary to  curve  off  to  the  door  of  the  house.  AVhen 
these  residences  increase  in  size,  they  assume  the  a])- 
pearance  of  a  park,  and  of  course  the  approach  will 
follow  the  character  of  those  required  in  such  places. 
It  is  not  unusual  to   find  two  approaches  to  a  villa 


276  ]>ART:S    and    rLEASUEIC-GKOUNDS. 

entering  from  the  same  line  of  road,  and  at  points  within 
a  hundred  yards  of  each  other;  a  fact  which  indicates 
an  excessive  love  of  road-making,  for  one  onght  to  be 
sufficient  for  the  requirements  of  the  ])lace.     When  a 
communication  with  a  separate  line  of  road  is  needed, 
a  second  approach  is  not  only  excusable,  but  it  may 
be  necessary,  though  it  will  generally  encroach  con- 
siderably on  the  privacy  of  the  grounds.     We  do  not 
pretend  to  give  such  dii'ections  on  this  subject  as  will 
meet  every  exigency.     Varieties  of  situation  are  con- 
tinually occurring,  which  must  be  treated  with  a  ref- 
erence to  their  own  peculiarities.     We  may,  however, 
remark  in  conclusion,  that  villa  residences  are  more 
frequently  spoiled  by  ill-judged  attempts  at  fine  ap- 
proaches than  by  any  other  mistake,  except,  perhaps, 
the  wrong  selection  of  a  site  for  the  house.     We  know 
scarcely  any  thing  in  more  miserable  taste  than  a  house 
with  a  broad  mural  facade  and  a  door  in  the  center, 
standing  far  back  in  a  vista,  and  occupying  its  whole 
width,  while  the  foreground  of  the  picture  is  taken 
up  with  a  disproportionate  road  winding   across   the 
grounds,  and  leaving  space  in  its  flanks  only  for  ill- 
grown  turf  or  paltry  shrubberies,  or,  what  is  worse 
still,  lines  of  potatoes  and  cabbages,  and  the  necessary 
dhlicibilU  of  uninclosed  kitchen-ground.     The  disap- 
})earance  of  such  sights  is  surely  devoutly  to  be  wished. 
The    KiTCHEJsr-GAKDEN. — Where    the    taste   of    the 
XU-oprietor  inclines  chiefly  to  the  possession  of  orna- 
mental grounds,  or  to  the  cultivation  of  fine  plants, 
want  of  space  may  require  the  omission  of  the  kitchen- 
garden,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  vegetable  markets  the 
privation  maybe  inconsiderable;  but  in  most  places, 
and    particularly   in    remote    districts,    the    culinary 


THE    KITCIIKX-GARDEN.  277 

department  of  the  garden  is  at  once  a  necessary  and  an 
interesting  appendage  to  a  villa.  It  requires  a  com- 
partment separate  from  the  ornamental  grounds.  The 
propersite  must  be  determined  by  the  lay  of  theground, 
and  especiall}'  by  the  arrangements  of  the  house. 
Obviously,  the  kitchen-garden  should  not  be  on  the 
entrance  or  drawing-room  fronts ;  or,  if  it  must  bo 
placed  on  these  sides,  it  should  be  removed  to  such  a 
distance  and  screened  in  such  a  way  as  to  conceal  all 
disagreeable  objects,  and  so  as  to  obstruct  the  general 
scenery  as  little  as  possible.  The  most  convenient 
position  is  close  to  the  stable-offices,  as  that  will  facili- 
tate the  introduction  of  manure  and  the  removal  of 
rubbish  without  injury  to  the  walks  or  dressed  grounds. 
It  is  desirable  that  the  site  should  be  warm  and  shel- 
tered, with  a  sunny  exposure  and  a  dry  subsoil.  If 
the  proprietor  desires  to  have  fine  wall-fruits,  proper 
walls  must  be  built  for  their  cultivation.  These  should 
not  exceed  twelve  feet  in  height,  otherwise  they  will 
often  be  injurious  to  the  scenery  of  the  place.  The 
boundary  wall  may  occasionally  form  part  of  the  in- 
closure  of  the  garden.  Walls  formed  or  lined  with 
brick  are  the  most  suitable  for  tlie  training  and  culture 
of  fruit  trees.  Stone  is  also  a  good  material,  whe:i 
tbrmed  of  a  proper  size,  and  carefully  dressed,  and 
well  built.  On  steep  declivities,  the  walls  may  bo 
made  the  facings  of  terraces,  the  intermediate  surfaces 
of  which  are  occupied  with  vegetables.  Of  the  other 
buildings  connected  with  the  kitchen-garden,  the  mel- 
onry  and  pine-pit  should  form  a  separate  compart- 
ment, either  in  the  interior  of  the  garden  or  attached 
to  it;  the  vineries  and  peach-houses  may  occupy  suit- 
able places  on  the  walls,  or  may  stand  in  detached 


278  PARKS   AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

situations,  as  may  be  found  most  convenient.  The 
latter  forcing-houses  may  sometimes  be  erected  with 
propriety  in  the.  dressed  grounds,  and  along  with  the 
green-house  may  form  a  connecting  link  between  these 
grounds  and  the  kitchen-garden.  The  favorite  form  of 
the  kitchen-garden  is  the  square  or  parallelogram,  and 
these  are  more  compact  than  most  other  forms,  and 
have  many  conveniences;  but  it  would  be  injudicious 
to  disfigure  the  internal  scenery  of  a  place  by  a  servile 
adherence  to  any  particular  plan,  when  one  perhaps 
equally  good,  though  not  quite  so  regular,  can  be  had 
by  the  adjustment  of  the  outlines  to  those  of  the 
ground,  or  to  the  positions  of  surrounding  objects. 
The  kitchen-gardens  of  small  residences  should  be 
exclusively  devoted  to  fruits  and  vegetables ;  by  that 
means  they  are  more  easily  kept  in  order.  Where 
orchards  are  planted,  they  should  be, connected  with 
the  kitchen-garden,  or  its  immediate  vicinity ;  a  few 
pretty  groups  of  apple,  pear,  and  cherry  trees  might 
be  formed  on  some  of  the  less  conspicuous  portions  of 
the  lawn. 

(4.)  Trees  and  Shrubs  as  the  means  of  Decora- 
tion IN  Villas. — In  the  marine  residence  and  in  the 
mountain  shooting-lodge,  trees  and  shrubs  may  be 
awanting  altogether,  or  may  exist  in  only  small  quan- 
tities, without  their  absence  or  their  paucity  being 
sensibly  felt.  In  some  marine  residences,  they  can 
not  be  grown  except  under  the  shelter  of  a  wall  or 
rock;  but  to  the  taste  of  many,  a  varied  shore  and  an 
unlimited  expanse  of  sea,  with  its  incessant  changes, 
afford  an  ample  compensation.  Again,  in  the  alpine 
shooting-lodge,  the  varied  outlines  of  hill  and  glen, 
of  crag  and  ravine,  of  lake  and  waterfall,  of  trailing 


HIKES    AXI'    SHRUBS.  279 

mist  and  glimpsing  sunshine,  may  afford  such  magni- 
ficent and  entrancing  scenery  as  may  make  the  tran- 
sient inhabitant  forget  the  softer  bcanties  of  trees, 
except  when  he  is  reminded  of  their  shelter%y  the  cut- 
ting hreatli  of  the  mountain  wind.  It  is  hardly  worth 
while  to  spend  much  labor  on  the  culture  of  trees  and 
shrubs  where  they  grow  with  difficulty  into  stunted 
forms,  and  where,  even  in  their  finest  developments, 
they  would  be  wholly  eclipsed  by  the  grander  and 
wilder  features  of  nature. 

But  it  is  different  with  the  ordinary,  and  particularly 
the  suburban  residence.  They  have  seldom  the  sub- 
lime accompaniments  of  the  broad  sea,  or  of  the  blue 
ridgy  mountain.  Trees,  shrubs,  and  flowers,  are  their 
principal  means  of  ornament.  Devoid  of  these,  they 
would  only  be  like  a  house  in  a  bare  field,  or  "  a  lodge 
in  a  garden  of  cucumbei*s." 

In  the  villa  grounds,  trees  can  not  be  formed  into 
w^oods,  but  they  should  .be  introduced  into  the  larger 
masses  of  shrubs  so  as  to  heighten  their  eficct;  in 
other  places,  they  may  be  sprinkled  on  the  remoter 
parts  of  the  lawns,  and  so  may  unite  with  the  former 
in  making  np  an  appearance  of  woodland  scenery. 
Some  of  the  more  rapidly  growiiig  kinds  should  be 
inserted  in  the  shrubberies  of  new-made  places,  for  the 
purpose  of  imparting  a  clothed  effect  at  an  earlier 
period  than  can  be  accomplished  by  shrubs  alone;  but 
where  not  intended  to  remain,  they  should  be  carefully 
weeded  out  when  the  object  wanted  has  been  attained 
by  their  neighbors  of  slower  grov/th.  Breadths  of 
trees  and  shrubs  are  needed  to  clothe  and  diversify 
even  a  small  place  when  new;  but  they  should  not  bo 
]•! anted  to  the  extent  of  over-crowding,  and  should  be 


280  TARES    AND    PLEASUKE-GKOUXDS. 

rigidly  tLiuned  out  at  the  proper  time.  A  greater 
variety  of  kinds  may  be  introduced  into  a  small  resi- 
dence than  into  an  equal  space  in  a  large  park  or 
pleasure-ground ;  for  two  trees  or  half  a-dozen  of  shrubs, 
tall  and  well  grown,  will  produce  in  the  former  a  mass 
of  foliage  and  a  breadth  of  effect  which  would  have 
but  an  insignificant  appearance  in  the  latter.  The  oak, 
elm,  horse-chestnut,  and  plane  may  be  admitted,  but 
only  in  comparatively  small  quantities  of  each,  in 
order  to  leave  room  for  the  ordinary  hardy  exotic  trees 
and  shrubs,  which  in  a  small  place  produce  a  variety 
and  awaken  an  interest  not  to  be  derived  from  the 
most  skillful  arrangement  of  the  more  common  sorts. 
Small  groups  may  be  formed  of  various  kinds  of  trees, 
such  as  oaks,  majjles,  ashs,  planes,  and  pines. '  The 
ordinary  broad-leaved  shrubs  may  afford  materials  for 
the  principal  masses  of  evergreens ;  but  a  considerable 
variety  of  others  may  be  grouped  along  with  them. 
The  low-growing  sorts,  such  as  Xho,  Rhododendron  jpon- 
ticuin  and  some  of  its  congenere,  should  be  planted 
round  the  outsides  of  those  of  taller  stature;  and  when 
the  clumps  on  the  lawn  fill  up  and  merge  into  masses, 
the  united  effect  adds  much  to  the  varied  beauty  of 
the  groups. 

(5.)  Watek. — A  sufficient  supply  of  water  for  orna- 
mental purposes  can  not  frequently  be  obtained  in  the 
limited  domain  of  a  villa.  Where  it  is  to  be  had,  and 
the  cast  of  ground  is  such  as  to  warrant  the  use  of 
artificial  water,  a  small  lake  will  be  a  pleasing  addi- 
tion to  one  of  the  principal  lawns.  Ifs  position  and 
form  should  be  regulated  by  the  principles  laid  down 
in  the  chapter  on  water.  Fountains,  too,  are  desir- 
able ornaments  in  a  place  of  minor  extent;  one  will 


LEADING   VARIETIES   OF    VILLA    SCENEKV,  281 

generally  be  sufficient,  and  it  may  be  put  in  a  promi- 
nent position  on  a  lawn,  or  be  made  a  center-piece  in 
the  flower-garden. 

(6.)  TriE  LEAnixo  Varikties  of  Villa  Scenery. — 
At  the  beginning  of  this  section  we  have  mentioned  a 
distinction  which  we  shoidd  be  glad  to  see  generally 
recognized  and  observed  in  the  laying-out  of  small 
residences,  viz  :  the  predominance  in  each  case  of  the 
pleasure-ground  or  park  character,  according  as  the 
nature  of  the  ground  may  suggest,  or  the  taste  of  the 
proprietor  might  dictate.  We  would  have  the  pleas- 
ure-ground villa  and  the  park  villa,  and  we  would 
employ  in  each  a  distinctive  style  of  ornament.  In 
the  following  remarks,  which  are  to  be  supposed  as 
applicable  more  particularly  to  residences  of  from 
three  to  ten  acres,  we  shall  endeavor  to  keep  this  dis- 
tinction in  view.  When  the  domain  extends  to  twelve, 
fourteen,  or  twenty  acres,  it  may  be  treated^  rather  as 
a  park  than  as  a  villa. 

The  Pleasdre-grounp  Villa. — In  this,  the  more 
ornamental  form  of  a  minor  residence,  the  whole  of 
the  ground  not  covered  by  the  house  and  offices  is 
taken  up  with  the  gardens  and  dressed  grounds.  The 
lawns  are,  speaking  comparatively,  of  considerable 
extent ;  the  groups  and  clumps  of  trees  and  shrubs  are 
very  much  as  are  common  in  pleasure-grounds  of 
moderate  dimensions,  and  the  execution  of  the  whole 
is  careful  and  unobtrusively  elaborate. 

The  first  object  aimed  at  is,  by  means  of  a  skillful 
distribution  of  the  principal  masses  of  trees  and  shrubs, 
to  conceal  the  kitchen-garden  and  offices,  and  more 
particularly  the  boundaries  of  the  place.  The  a]> 
proach,  too,  should  be  screened  or  masked.     The  next 


282  PAEKS    AND   ^LEA3UKE-GK0U^'DS, 

object  is  to  lay  down  one  or  two  of  the  principal  lawns, 
so  as  to  have  the  appearance  of  considerable  extent  as 
seen  from  the  windows  of  the  public  rooms.  It  is 
possible,  by  means  of  masses  and  groups  of  shrubs,  to 
convey  the  idea  that  these  lawns  branch  dfi'  indefi- 
nitely, while  other  minor  lawns,  separated  by  the  in- 
terposition of  shrubs,  may  seem  to  be  connected  with 
the  former  by  smaller  breadths  of  grass.  While  the 
principal  laM-ns  have  for  the  most  part  a  clothed  aspect, 
it  is  desirable  that  one  of  them  should  be  made  to 
show  a  large  extent  of  length  and  breadth  of  grass, 
wholly  free  from  the  interruptions  which  numerous 
flower-beds  and  single  trees  and  shrubs  injudiciously 
placed  are  sure  to  produce.  In  the  margins  of  the 
lawns,  and  especially  of  the  principal  one  just  alluded 
to,  the  masses  of  trees  should  be  so  formed  as  to  pre- 
sent a  varied  outline  of  projection  and  recess ;  without, 
there  car>  not  be  that  breadth  of  light,  and  depth  of 
shade,  which  are  so  rich  a  source  of  beauty  in  pictur- 
esque scenery.  The  recesses  of  the  lawns  will  afford 
room  for  groups  of  flower-beds,  or  even  small  flower- 
gardens  for  the  budding-out  of  green-house  plants, 
annuals,  etc.  In  some  of  these  nooks,  too,  rosaries  and 
collections  of  American  plants  are  furnished  with  a]i- 
})ropriate  homes.  Eock-works,  grottoes,  bowers,  houses, 
or  covered  seats  formed  of  combined  moss  and  wicker- 
work,  may  be  attached  to  the  flower-gardens,  or  may 
be  placed  as  detached  objects  in  the  grounds.  It  is 
not  advisable,  however,  to  confine  the  whole  of  the 
roses  and  flowering  plants  and  shrubs  to  j)articular 
])laces;  the  ornamented  style  aimed  at  permits  thcni 
to  bo  scattered  liberally  throughout  the  whole  place, 
iS^arrow  flower-borders  and  small  flower-beds,  destined 


THE    PLEASURE-GROUND    VILLA.  283 

more  particularly  for  spring  flowers,  may  be  formed 
near  the  house,  but  are  not  to  be  permitted  to  inter- 
rupt the  continuity  of  the  principal  lawns. 

There  ought  to  be  at  least  one  principal  walk,  not 
less  than  seven  feet  wide,  leading  through  the  grounds 
and  exliibiting  the  main  objects  and  positions  of  the 
place.  A  number  of  secondary  walks  will  also  be 
required  to  aftbrd  access  to  some  of  the  ornaments 
above  specified,  and  to  facilitate  the  inspection  of  the 
flowers.  They  should  not  be  allowed,  however,  to 
trench  on  the  glades  of  the  lawns.  Xarrow  walks 
should  be  avoided,  except  when  connected  with  groups 
of  flower-beds. 

Terraces  and  bowling-greens  may  often  be  intro- 
duced with  excellent  eflect,  the  former  in  combination 
with  the  house  and  flower-garden,  the  latter  in  some 
of  the  more  secluded  lawns.  Yases  form  suitable 
additions  to  the  terraces  and  flower-gardens;  a  sun- 
dial may  likewise  find  a  place,  and  a  group  or  two  of 
statuary;  but  this  last  requires  to  be  sparingly  and 
tastefully  employed. 

The  inner  surfaces  of  the  boundary  walls  should 
be  covered  with  ivy,  which  will  present  a  mantle  of 
verdure  at  all  seasons.  It  is  well  to  do  this,  even 
where  trees  and  shrubs  are  placed  in  front  of  the  walls, 
for  they  are  often  more  conspicuous  than  they  ought  to 
be  in  the  winter  and  spring  months.  Portions  of 
these  walls  may  be  rendered  interesting  by  having  half- 
hardy  climbing  plants  placed  against  them  in  spaces 
of  six  or  seven  feet  broad.  To  aflbrd  protection  to 
these  exotics,  it  is  a  good  expedient  to  plant  between 
the  above-mentioned  spaces  vigorous  specimens  of 
Magnolia  cjrandiflora^  sweet  bay,  arbutus,  and  common 


284  PARKS    AND    rLEASURE-GEOUNDS. 

laurel,  trained  up  to  cover  three  feet  in  breadth,  and 
to  project  eighteen  inches  or  two  feet.  These  ever- 
greens, if  well  kept,  will  not  only  form  fine  verdant 
columns,  but  will  be  found  to  yield  a  considerable  de- 
gree of  shelter  to  the  more  tender  plants  trained  in  the 
intermediate  spaces.  The  walls  of  the  house,  as  also 
the  porches  and  verandas,  may  be  decorated  with 
climbing  plants  and  shrubs. 

The  pleasure-ground  villa  is  generally  the  choice  of 
the  botanist  and  flower-fancier ;  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
cities  it  is  often  the  abode  of  those  whose  wealth  per- 
mits them  to  indulge  a  taste  for  fine  scenery  and  ele- 
gant decoration.  As  being  more  complicated,  and 
more  carefully  furnished  in  all  its  parts,  it  requires  a 
larger  outlay  at  first,  and  a  more  laborious,  and  there- 
fore more  expensive  keeping,  than  the  jilainer  form, 
on  which  we  now  proceed  to  oflPer  some  remarks. 

The  Park  Yilla. — In  this  species  of  villa,  from 
one-half  to  two-thirds  of  the  whole  area  is  taken  up 
with  pasture-land,  arranged  into  one  larger  or  two 
smaller  fields,  to  suit  convenience ;  while  the  remain- 
ing space  is  allotted  to  the  house  and  its  ofiices,  the 
kitchen-garden,  and  lawns  with  the  appended  shrub- 
beries. For  example,  and  without  laying  down  any 
proportions  to  be  adhered  to  invariably,  say  that  the 
wliole  ground  to  be  operated  on  amounts  to  seven 
acres  ;  we  may  suppose  that  half  an  acre  is  occupied 
by  the  site  of  the  house,  ofiices,  and  their  relative 
courts ;  that  one  acre  is  allotted  to  the  kitchen-garden, 
and  another  acre  and  a  half  is  distributed  among  the 
lawns,  shrubberies,  and  approach ;  there  would  be  left 
four  acres  for  pasture  to  be  grazed  by  sheep,  or  by  a 
few  cows,  or  a  horse  or  two,  as  the  wants  of  the  family 


THE    PARK    VILLA.  285 

might  require.  In  this  way,  the  Avhole  })hice  might 
be  arranged  so  as  to  be  a  miniature  representation  of 
a  park  and  pleasure-grounds  on  a  larger  scale.  The 
grass  field,  then,  thus  promoted  to  the  dignity  of  a 
park,  may  be  formed  on  one  side  or  other  of  the  house, 
or  may  surround  it  on  two  or  three  sides,  and  should 
constitute  the  principal  lawns.  It  may  be  divided 
from  the  dressed  grounds  by  wire  fences  or  iron  hur- 
dles, which,  from  their  lightness,  are  better  adapted 
for  the  internal  fencing  of  small  places  than  walls  and 
hedges.  It  may  also  have  a  few  small  groups  of  trees 
irregularly  scattered,  but  not  dotted  over  it.  The 
dressed  grounds  should  be  attached  to  the  house  ;  but 
a  curtain  of  trees  and  shrubbery  will  be  needed  to 
encircle  the  little  park  so  as  to  screen  the  boundary 
walls  where  these  are  too  conspicuous,  to  shelter  the 
kitchen-gai'den,  and,  in  short,  to  conceal  any  thing  that 
is  objectionable.  It  may  sometimes  happen,  however, 
that  the  extreme  verge  of  the  field  may  seem  to  pass 
imperceptibly  and  harmoniously  into  the  adjacent 
property,  and  if  there  are  no  special  reasons  for  mak- 
ing the  distinction,  the  ring  curtain  in  that  quarter 
may  well  be  disj^ensed  with.  The  finest  part  of  the 
pleasure-grounds  should  be  between  the  house  and  the 
pasture-field,  and  both  should  be  laid  out  so  that  the 
one  should  appear  a  continuation  of  the  other.  As 
recommended  in  the  other  form  of  a  villa,  a  consider- 
able variety  of  trees  and  shrubs  should  be  planted  in 
the  grounds.  Besides  the  walks  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  house,  one  leading  walk  should  pass 
round  the  boundary,  communicating  with  those  in  the 
kitchen-garden,  and  also  with  the  approach,  if  there  is 
one.     A   small   lake,    a   fountain,   vases,   and   other 


286  PARKS   AlW   PLEASHEE-GEOUNDS. 

artificial  decorations,  may  often  be  introduced  with  good 
effect,  bnt  only  sparingly,  on  account  of  the  limited 
extent  of  the  dressed  grounds.  The  kitchen-garden, 
with  its  structures,  may  be  placed  at  one  end  or  along 
one  side  of  the  place,  as  convenience  may  dictate.  If 
the  approach  conies  in  contact  with  the  pasture -field, 
it  should  only  skirt  the  side  of  it,  and  shonld  be  par- 
tially shaded  by  groups  of  shrubs  and  trees. 

The  park  villa  is  often  a  very  agreeable,  and,  though 
plainer  in  its  style  than  the  other,  a  very  beautiful 
residence.  If  well-arranged  at  first,  it  is  the  more 
easily  managed  of  the  two.  Where  only  a  moderate 
amount  of  forcing  and  green-house  work  is  required, 
one  man,  with  occasional  assistance,  or  at  most  two 
men,  will  be  sufiicient  to  keep  a  place  such  as  thai 
described  above  in  perfect  order. 

JVote. — The  several  subjects  comprising  this  sectior 
are  so  well  and  so  fully  discussed  by  our  author,  thai 
Imrdly  an  additional  word  is  required.  The  fervia 
sun  of  an  American  climate  will  relieve  the  proprietor 
of  much  of  the  walling  recommended  for  the  protec- 
tion of  his  plants,  and  promoting  the  growth  and  riper- 
ing  of  his  vegetables  and  fruits.  Of  all  these  the 
intelligent  cultivator  will  be  a  competent  judge;  and 
in  the  general  scope  and  good  sense  of  the  remarks 
before  us,  no  one  need  make  a  wide  mistake  in  cou 
Btructing  a  complete  house,  and' surrounding  itwhf, 
the  most  desirable  grounds. 


GENERAL    OBSERVATIONS.  287 


CHAPTER   XII. 

GENERAL    OBSERVATIONS    ON    THE    LAYING-OUT    AND 
IMPROVEMENT  OF  GROUNDS. 

Landscape-gardening- — Analogies  to  Landacape-painting — Compara- 
tive Power  over  Materials  —  Simplicity  and  Multiplicity  of  Points  of 
Vie-w  —  Processes  wholly  and  partly  Tentative  — Propriety  of  Re- 
vision—Utility of  Plans  — Hazard  of  Preparatory  Operations. 

In  the  preceding  chapters,  vre  have  adhered,  as 
closely  as  possible,  to  practical  views  of  the  subjects 
which  we  have  treated,  and  we  have  carefully  ab- 
stained from  all  merely  theoretical  reasoning.  Our 
preparatory  studies,  however,  as  well  as  our  experi- 
ence in  the  exercise  of  the  profession,  have  led  us  to 
some  general  conclusions  regarding  the  principles  and 
tlie  practice  of  the  art,  which  it  may  be  proper  to  bring 
under  the  notice  of  tlte  reader,  both  as  conducing  to 
the  unity  and  as  adding  to  the  completeness  of  the 
work.  To  a  brief  exposition  of  these  conclusions, 
then,  we  shall  devote  this  chapter;  and  we  shall  allow 
our  remarks  on  principles  to  run  at  once  into  their 
practical  applications. 

The  name.  Landscape-gardening,  usually  given  to 
the  laying-out  and  improvement  of  grounds,  suggests 
some  considerations  worthy  of  attention.  Sir  "Walter 
Scott,   in   an    interesting   paper  reprinted   from   the 


288  PARKS    AND   PLEASUKE-GKOUNDS. 

Quarterly  Review,  in  his  miscellaneous  works,  disai> 
proves  of  its  being  called  gardening  in  any  sense. 
"The  art,"  he  says,  "has  been  nnfortunately  named. 
The  idea  of  its  being,  after  all,  a  variety  of  the  garden- 
ino-  art,  with  which  it  has  little  or  nothing  to  do,  has 
given  a  mechanical  turn  to  the  whole  profession,  and 
certainly  encouraged  many  persons  to  practice  it  with 
no  greater  qualifications  than  onght  to  be  found  in  a 
tolerably  skillful  gardener."'  (Prose  ^\^orks^  vol,  xxi.  p. 
104.)  In  these  observations,  there  is  undeniably  some 
truth ;  though  it  may  be  urged,  on  the  other  hand, 
that  a  gardener  is  as  likely  to  be  a  successful  designer 
as  the  forester,  the  bailiff,  or  the  road-surveyor,  or 
even  the  amateur,  to  whom  the  work  is  occasionally 
intrusted.  Unquestionably,  the  artist  employed  in 
this  department  ought  to  have  a  special  and  profes- 
sional training;  but  it  may  also  be  asked,  Is  not  the 
other  part  of  the  title,  Landscajye-goxd^emn^^  a  little 
too  ambitious,  and  does  it  not  pr()ceed  on  an  analogy 
calculated  to  mislead,  and  therefore  to  disai)]>oint  \  It 
is  well  known  that  the  expounders  of  this  branch  of 
art  have  adopted  some  of  the  princqjles  and  employed 
very  much  the  language  of  painting.  The  artist  in 
our  department  is  supposed  to  create  a  landscape  in 
living  nature,  just  as  the  painter  creates  one  on  can- 
vas. The  comparison  thus  instituted  between  the  two 
arts,  implies  that  there  are  certain  resemblances  be- 
tween them ;  but  if  there  are  resemblances,  it  is  no 
less  certain  that  there  are  differences.  A  brief  cou- 
eideration  of  these  harmonizing  and  antagonistic  points 
may  afford  us  some  light,  and  will  enable  us  to  make 
most  of  those  general  observations  which  we  have 
proposed  to  offer. 


LANDSOAPE-GAEDENINO.  280 

First,  the  Landscape-painter  may  copy  with  the 
most  scrupulous  exactitude  some  piece  of  scenery  ac- 
tually existing ;  and  such  is  the  wonderful  beauty  and 
diversity  of  nature,  that  if  his  selection  has  been 
felicitous,  the  result  may  be  among-  the  most  truthful 
and  successful  of  his  eftorts.  The  Landscape-gardener 
can  seldom  copy.  He  may  indeed  fall  into  that  same- 
ness of  style  Avhich  constitutes  mannerism,  but  he  can 
never  servilely  copy ;  lor  even  on  tlie  most  level  sur- 
faces his  materials  are  not  often  the  same,  and  the 
relative  situations  of  his  permanent  objects  are  al- 
most always  different.  He  is  bound  to  create  views,  if 
we  may  here  use  a  word  of  so  much  weight  of  mean- 
ing ;  in  short,  his  business  is  what  is  technically  called 
comj^osition.  This  circumstance  makes  his  work  paral- 
lel to  what,  we  believe,  is  the  highest  line  of  landscape- 
])ainting,  viz:  the  formation  of  pictures  by  the  combi- 
nation of  the  finest  objects  which  the  artist  has  copied 
into  his  sketcli-book,  or  can  recall  by  his  memory,  or 
can  embody  by  his  imagination.  But  here  the  painter 
has  some  important  advantages.  His  canvas  is  at  first 
a  tahula  rasa,  a  wholly  unoccupied  field,  and  his  ob- 
jects are  fully  at  his  command.  He  can  put  down 
rocks  here,  and  water  there,  and  buildings  and  trees 
wherever  the  rules  of  i:)er3pective  or  the  management 
of  his  distances  render  them  admissible.  The  Land- 
scape-gardener has  most  of  his  objects  laid  dowii  to 
him.  He  must  accept  of  the  locality  with  its  natural 
features,  and  the  contour  of  the  ground,  which  often 
prescribes  a  particular  treatment ;  and  he  must  make 
it  his  business  to  conceal  deformities,  to  elicit  existing 
but  unapparent  beauties,  and   to  adorn  whatever  is 

susceptible  of  improvement.     It  is  true  that  in  these 
13 


290  PARES   AND   PLEASrEE-GEOmSTDS- 

seeming  disadvantages  there  is  also  some  real  compen- 
sation. If  his  broad  terrene  canvas  is  not  so  pliant 
and  submissive  to  his  will  as  that  of  a  painter — if  he 
has  not  so  clear  a  field  and  so  absolute  a  command 
over  liis  objects  —  jet  the  very  difficulty  and  peculiari- 
ties of  the  locality  are  often  suggestive  of  his  most 
admirable  results.  Sir  Uvedale  Price,  in  one  of  the 
notes  to  his  well  known  work,  records  the  practice  of 
Zucchi,  a  celebrated  Roman  painter  of  castellated 
scenery.  It  was  the  method  of  that  artist,  first  to  dash 
off  a  large  rock,  the  more  diversified  and  picturesque 
the  better,  and  he  then  proceeded  to  build  his  towers 
on  this  crag  and  on  that,  according  as  he  could  find 
foundations  for  them ;  and  it  was  generally  observed 
that  he  was  successful  in  his  castles  in  proportion  as 
he  had  been  happy  in  constructing  their  rocky  bases. 
Here  it  is  easy  to  perceive  the  process  by  which  picto- 
rial effects  were  suggested  to  the  mind  of  the  painter. 
More  subtle,  and  therefore  more  untraceable,  may  be 
the  operation  of  suggestion,  in  the  practice  of  Land- 
scape-gardening, but  not  less  certain  is  its  influence. 
We  believe  that  many  of  its  happiest  effects  have 
flowed  from  this  source;  and  on  the  other  hand  it 
would  not  be  difiicult  to  recount  some  lamentable  in- 
stances of  failure  and  error  arising  trom  neglect  of  this 
principle.  The  practical  conclusion  is,  that  the  artist 
siiould  never  ventui'e  to  design,  much  less  execute,  till 
lie  has  made  himself  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
natural  and  acquired  characters  of  the  ground. 

Again,  the  Landscapeq^ainter  has  to  deal  with  no 
more  than  one  view  at  a  time;  and  he  can  not  only 
place  the  spectator  at  the  point  most  favorable  for  con- 
templating it,  but  by  certain  modes  of  treatment  he 


LANDSCAPE-GARDENINO.  291 

can  compel  attention  to  the  foreground,  the  middle  dis- 
tance, and  the  extreme  distance,  as  he  pleases.  In 
tliese  respects  the  Landscape-gardener  is  bj  no  means 
so  fortunate.  It  is  true  that  he  too  can  lead  the  eye  to 
certain  definite  objects,  though  in  this  liis  power  is 
comparatively  limited.  His  greatest  dithcultj',  how- 
ever, is,  tiiat  his  points  of  view  are  continually  chang- 
ing. A  scene  which  is  really  beautiful,  as  viewed  from 
the  window  of  the  drawing-room,  may  appear  tame  at 
the  end  of  the  terrace,  or,  as  seen  transversely  from 
some  point  in  the  grounds,  may  exhibit  little  else  than 
incongruity  and  confusion.  These  are  defects  which 
of  course  are  to  be  abated  or  concealed.  Besides  one 
or  two  leading  views,  numerous  subordinate  scenes 
may  have  to  be  elaborated  in  the  same  range  of 
grounds — as  many,  in  short,  as,  were  they  painted, 
would  fill  a  gallery  of  moderate  dimensions.  Here 
the  principle  of  intricacy  comes  to  the  artist's  aid,  if 
he  is  only  skillful  enough  to  employ  it.  There  is  also 
a  boundless  variety  in  the  expression  of  trees,  which 
often  supply  most  beautiful  and  interesting  pieces  of 
verdure  apart  from  the  main  beauties  of  the  place. 
Distant  prospects  into  the  adjacent  country  are  also 
a  useful  and  often  an  available  resource.  It  may  bo 
assumed  as  an  axiom  that  a  residence  with  a  single 
fine  view  will  speedily  prove  a  wearisome  one.  The 
visitor  will  admire  the  show-scene  for  a  little,  but  he 
M'ill  soon  turn  away  from  it,  inquiring,  "Is  this  all?  — 
have  yon  no  more  pictures  in  your  gallery  ? "  To  meet 
these  demands  the  artist  must  provide  a  variety  of 
food  for  the  eye,  which  is  quickly  sated  and  wearied 
with  uniformity.  But  to  effect  this  he  must  not  only 
possess  invention  and  industry  in  himself,  l)ut  he  must 


292  PARKS   AND    PLEASUKE-GEOUNDS. 

be  allowed  time  and  opportunity  to  exercise  them.  If 
he  is  called  but  once  to  lend  his  aid,  and  perhaps  with 
an  intelligible  hint  that  the  sooner  he  is  done  the  bet- 
ter, he  may  proceed  rapidly  to  work,  and  in  the  brief 
period  conceded  to  him  may  do  wonders ;  but  the 
more  quickly  and  clearly  he  conceives  the  plan  of  the 
one  grand  view,  if  there  be  but  one,  and  the  more 
perfectly  he  carries  it  into  execution,  the  more  likely 
he  is  to  leave  every  thing  else  an  entire  barren.  A 
man  may  thrust  his  preconceived  fancies  on  a  place 
as  fast  as  he  can  stake  them  out ;  but  if  the  treatment 
is  to  be  adjusted  to  the  ground,  and  if  harmony  and 
^'ariety  of  effect  are  desired,  as  thej^  always  ought  to 
be,  time  should  be  given  for  the  laws  of  suggestion  to 
come  into  free  play.*  Here  an  intelligent  and  tasteful 
proprietor  may  render  efficient  aid,  and  of  that  aid  a 
sensible  artist  will  always  be  glad  to  avail  himself. 
Even  the  expression  of  a  feeling  of  want,  though  what 
is  wanted  is  not  distinctly  perceived,  may  direct  the 
attention  of  the  designer,  occupied  with  other  things, 

*"  According  to  the  common  process,  their  time  (tliat  of  improvers)  is  estimated  at 
a  certain  number  of  guineas  per  day,  and  the  party  consulting  them  is  not  unnatu- 
rally interested  in  getting  as  much  out  of  the  professor  within  as.  little  time  as  can 
possibly  be  achieved.  The  landscape-gardener  is  therefore  trotted  over  the  grounds 
two,  three,  or  four  times,  and  called  upon  to  decide  upon  points  which  a  proprietor 
himself  would  hesitate  to  determine,  unless  he  were  to  visit  the  grounds  in  different 
lights  and  at  different  seasons  and  various  times  of  the  day  during  the  course  of  a 
j'car.  This  leads  to  a  degree  of  precipitation  on  the  part  of  the  artist,  who  knows  his 
remuneration  will  be  grudged  unless  he  makes  some  striking  and  notable  alteration, 
yet  has  little  or  no  time  allowed  him  to  judge  what  that  alteration  ought  to  be. 
Hence  men  of  taste  and  genius  are  induced  to  act  at  random ;  hence  an  liabitual  disre- 
gard of  the  genius  loci,  and  a  proportional  degree  of  confidence  in  a  set  of  general 
rules,  influencing  their  own  practice,  so  that  they  do  not  receive  from  nature  tlie 
impression  of  what  a  place  ought  to  be,  but  impress  on  nature  at  a  venture  the  stamp, 
manner,  or  character  of  their  own  practice,  as  a  mechanic  puts  the  same  marks  on  all 
the  goods  which  pass  through  his  hands." — Sir  fValter  Scott's  Prose  H'orks,  vol.  xxi, 
p.  lOP. 


m 

COMPARTSOX    -SVIXn    LAXPSCAPE-PAINTIXG.  293 

to  some  bald  or  feeble  point,  and  so  bv  stimulating 
invention  may  lead  to  valuable  results. 

Another  point  of  comparison  between  landscape- 
painting  anil  landscape-gardening,  whixjh  presents  at 
the  same  time  an  analogy  and  an  important  difference, 
is  to  be  found  in  the  manner  in  which  the  designs  con- 
templated are  respectively  carried  into  effect.  In 
painting,  there  is,  or  at  least  may  be,  something  tenta- 
tive or  experimental,  running  throughout  almost  the 
whole  of  the  processes  which  intervene  between  the 
first  conception  of  the  picture  and  its  complete  execu- 
tion. The  artist,  if  engaged  in  composition,  traces  his 
outlines  on  his  canvas;  but  he  can  alter  them  as  he 
goes  along,  and  probably  his  success,  or  the  want  of  it, 
in  one  part  of  the  picture,  will  suggest  a  corresponding 
or  compensating  feature  in  another.  Even  when  ap- 
proaching a  conclusion,  his  work  is  yet  open  to  change, 
though  such  liberties  may  then  be  most  unadvisable, 
still  change  is  possible ;  but  when  the  last  touch  has 
been  given,  the  picture  is  finished,  and  will  continue 
so,  as  long  as  the  colors  and  other  materials  endure. 
All  along  the  wor^  has  been  wholly  in  the  artist's 
power,  and  he  has  the  felicity  of  completing  it,  and 
stamping  even  its  minutest  parts  with  the  abiding 
impress  of  his  own  mind. 

"  I  also  am  a  painter  / "  says  the  Garden  Artist ;  and 
it  is  true  that  he  creates  a  varied  scenery ;  but  neither 
are  his  materials  nor  his  operations  so  entirely  under 
his  command.  Trees  and  shnibs  may  be  regarded  as 
his  colors ;  but  how  ineffective  and  untractable  are 
these,  when  compared  with  the  pigments  on  the  paint- 
er's palette !  And  his  processes  are  only  in  a  slight 
degree  tentative,  at  least  so  far  as  he  has  immediately 


294:  PAliKS   AND    PLEASUEE-GEOUNDS. 

to  do  with  them.  He  can  alter  his  plans,  indeed, 
■while  they  exist  in  his  own  mind  or  on  paper,  or  even 
while  he  is  tracing  his  outlines  on  the  ground.  But  it 
is  to  be  remembered,  that  the  outline,  or  ground-plan, 
as  it  is  called,  is  only  the  skeleton,  if  it  be  so  much,  of 
scenery  which  is  to  appear  in  relief,  in  the  form  of 
trees  and  other  elements  of  landscape.  The  process  is 
only  begun  when  the  outlines  are  staked  out;  many 
other  agencies  and  influences  must  operate,  before  the 
contemplated  result  is  realized.  Other  artists,  if  we 
may  so  call  them,  have  to  take  up  the  brush  and  pal- 
ette—  the  processes  of  nature,  to  sum  many  activities 
under  one  term  —  and  the  axe  of  the  woodman  must 
have  had  free  play,  before  the  effect  designed  by  the 
prophetic  eye  of  taste  can  be  accomplished.  The 
aspect  of  woodland  scenery  changes  more  or  less  per- 
ceptibly every  successive  year.  Suppose  that  the  rudi- 
mentary appearance  of  a  park,  ten  years  from  planting, 
could  be  accurately  compared  with  its  full-grown  aspect 
fifty  years  from  the  same  date,  the  difference  would  be 
striking  indeed.  Possibly,  the  designer  has  never  seen 
it  since  its  first  formation ;  probably  his  plans,  in  re- 
gard to  the  distribution  of  trees,  were  only  very  im- 
perfectly executed  in  the  first  planting;  it  may  be 
assumed  as  almost  certain,  that  his  aims  respecting 
the  thinning  of  masses,  the  feathering  of  outlines, 
and  the  defining  of  groups,  have  been  either  neglected 
or  imperfectly  attained ;  but,  meanwhile,  nature  luis 
steadily  pursued  her  course,  and,  from  a  variety  of 
causes,  wdiich  can  be  more  readily  imagined  than  won- 
dered at,  has  most  inadequately  realized  the  fair  ideal 
of  the  artist ;  and  yet,  the  whole  scenic  effect  is  often 
held  to  be  as  justly  ascribable  to  him,  as  some  finished 


UTILITY   OF    PLANS.  295 

gem  of  a  picture  is  attributable  to  a  Claude  or  a 
Turner.  AVe  fear  that  proper  allowance  is  seldom 
made  for  this  disadvantage  on  the  part  of  the  garden- 
artist.  It  was  averred,  for  example,  by  Repton,  that 
many  of  those  clumps  which  brought  no  small  siiare 
of  obloquy  on  the  style  of  Brown  —  a  style  sulliciently 
marked  with  other  and  inherent  faults  —  were  intended 
by  him  to  be  thinned  out  into  grouj^s ;  but  in  conse- 
quence of  his  intentions  being  forgotten  or  disregarded, 
were  permitted  to  remain  and  grow  up  into  that  unde- 
niable deformity  which  awakened  the  bitter  criticism 
of  Price  and  others.  In  this,  Brown  appears  tu  have 
beeu  made  responsible  for  errors  not  his  own.  It  is 
easy  to  see  how  other  artists  may  sufllr  similar  injus- 
tice. In  short,  by  this  means,  the  delicate  finish  of 
the  scenic  picture  may  never  have  been  accorded,  and 
60  the  desired  effect,  imagined  with  exquisite  taste, 
and  skillfully  aimed  at  in  the  primary  execution,  may 
be  entirely  frustrated.  And  how  are  these  natural 
defects  of  the  art  to  be  remedied  ?  Only  by  repeated 
revision.  To  stipulate  for  such  revision,  as  the  privi- 
lege of  the  orio^inal  artist,  mav  be  inconsistent  with 
the  delicacy  of  a  gentleman,  while  actually  engaged 
in  his  profession ;  but  in  a  work  like  the  present,  no 
delicacy  should  prevent  the  strong  assertion  of  its  ne- 
cessity. Without  doubt,  to  attain  a  degree  of  periec- 
tion,  the  artist  should  be  occasionally  recalled  to  revise 
liis  work,  and  to  correct  the  consequences  of  time  by 
a  few  additional  touciies.  But  the  artist  may  cease  to 
practice,  and  his  woiks  may  long  outlive  him;  to  meet 
these  contingences,  we  should  recommend  that,  in  the 
case  of  any  new  parks  and  pleasure-grounds,  or  where 
any  considerable  addition  or  alteration  in  them  has 


296  PAKKS    AND    PLEASURE-GPwOUNDS. 

been  made,  a  general  plan  sbonld  be  execnted  on 
paper,  accompanied  by  sufficient  memoranda,  and  kept 
as  a  record  of  wbat  had  been  originally,  or  subse- 
quently, proposed  and  sanctioned.  By  this  mean?, 
the  designs,  in  their  proper  form,  could  be  successively 
carried  into  effect.  In  visiting  certain  old  parks  and 
pleasure-grounds,  bearing  on  their  face  the  evidence 
of  repeated  changes,  we  have  often  wished  for  a  plan 
coeval  with  their  formation,  and  some  documentary- 
tracings  of  the  alterations  which  time  and  varying 
taste  had  wrought  on  them.  If  trees  had  the  gift  of 
speech,  they  could  tell  us  many  curious  tales.  Such 
authentic  memorials  would  be  most  interesting  in  re- 
gard to  the  history,  and  instructive  as  to  the  practice, 
of  the  art. 

The  general  plans  which  we  have  thus  recommended 
as  a  record  of  original  designs  and  successive  changes, 
are  not  less  necessary  in  the  primary  arrangement  and 
laying-out  of  parks  and  pleasure-grounds.  Those  who 
have  had  the  management  of  extensive  and  diversi- 
fied operations,  and  have  studied  the  means  of  effec- 
tually carrying  them  out,  will  not  fail  to  appreciate 
their  great  value.  AVe  are  aware  that  it  is  the  custom 
of  some  amateurs,  who  busy  themselves  in  landscape- 
gardening,  to  sneer  at  plans  as  below  the  dignity  and 
unworthy  of  the  notice  of  a  great  artist.  We  must 
be  allowed  to  say,  tliat  we  have  generally  found  these 
great  artists  rather  defective  in  that  practical  knowl- 
edge which  would  fully  warrant  them  to  give  a  decided 
opinion  on  the  subject.  The  architect  knows  well  the 
importance  and  the  necessity  of  plans  and  specifica- 
tions, in  building  the  mansion-house,  in  which  work 
many  operations  are  to  be  carried  on  under  a  deputed 


UTILITY   OF   PLANS.  297 

superintendence,  that  would  otherwise  require  his  con- 
stant presence.  So  the  landscape-gardener,  who  has 
examined  grounds  with  such  care  as  to  warrant  his 
attempting  their  improvement  in  the  way  of  decora- 
tion, can  have  little  difficulty  in  making  plans  and 
specifications  for  the  general  arrangement  of  the  place 
and  for  the  particular  execution  of  many  of  the  details, 
such  as  may  be  put  into  the  hands  of  competent  indi- 
A'iduals  with  the  assurance  that  they  will  be  duly  exe- 
cuted without  his  continued  attendance  on  the  grounds. 
There  are,  however,  things  which  must  be  done  under 
his  own  eye,  or  at  least  must  be  frequently  inspected 
by  him  during  their  progress.  This  remark  holds 
especially  true  in  the  extending  and  remodeling  of  old 
places.  The  opening  of  views,  the  grouping  of  trees 
and  shrubs,  and  some  other  nice  operations,  can  be 
effected  neither  by  plans  nor  by  delegation.  The  im- 
prover ought,  if  possible,  to  give  them  the  benefit  of 
his  personal  direction  ;  otherwise,  he  may  find  that,  iu 
his  absence,  a  few  trees  —  ay,  a  single  tree,  has  been 
cut  down,  to  the  most  serious  injury  of  one  of  his  best 
pictures.  Even  in  such  cases,  however,  it  is  beneficial 
for  the  sake  of  the  improvements  as  a  whole,  to  have 
a  general  plan  constructed.  Undoubtedly,  when  little 
time  is  allowed,  the  artist  may  at  once  stake  out  some 
hurried  designs  on  the  ground ;  and  this  he  may  do 
with  less  expense  of  thought  and  contrivance  than  the 
proper  treatment  of  the  case  demands,  and  with  much 
less  labor  than  is  necessary  to  that  minute  survey  of 
the  locality  which  is  required  fur  the  formation  of  a 
plan  upon  paper;  but  the  probability  of  his  erring 
will,  on  that  very  account,  be  proportionally  greater, 
1P>* 


ZVb  PARKS    AND    PLEASUEE-GEOUJN'DS. 

and  the  likelihood  of  his  directions  being  mistaken  or 
forgotten  may  be  regarded  as  amounting  to  certainty. 
In  connection  with  this  part  of  the  subject,  we  take 
the  liberty  of  remarking,  tiiat  it  is  not  advisable  for 
gentlemen  who  intend  to  consult  a  landscape-gardener 
to  engage  in  preparatory  operations,  Ibr  the  purpose 
of  clearing  the  way  for  him.  Such  work  is  better  left 
to  the  artist  himself,  and  more  particularly  when  he 
has  to  deal  with  old  places.  In  the  improvement  of 
existing  park  and  pleasure-grounds,  the  operations 
have,  perhaps,  as  close  an  analogy  to  sculpture  as  to 
painting.  Give  the  improver  a  well-wooded  country, 
with  a  surface  sufficiently  diversified,  and  he  will  cut 
out  of  it  a  park  and  pleasure-ground,  just  as  a  sculptor 
will  cut  a  group  out  of  a  block  of  marble.  But  what 
would  the  sculptor  say,  were  the  stone-cutters  in  the 
quarry  to  insist  on  reducing  his  block  to  what  they 
conceived  might  be  an  appropriate  shape?  Equally 
objectionable  is  preliminary  interference  with  the  pro- 
per work  of  the  landscape-gardener.  A7e  once  met 
with  an  afflictive  case  of  this  kind.  A  gentleman  had 
been  induced  to  prepare  for  our  advent,  by  thinning 
out  the  trees  and  smoothing  the  ground  in  an  old  wood 
on  the  drawing-room  front  of  the  house.  He  unfor- 
tunately allowed  the  operations  to  proceed  in  his  ab- 
sence ;  and  on  hjs  return  liorae,  which  he  had  been 
obliged  to  leave  for  some  months,  he  found  several 
acres  of  grass,  and,  instead  of  the  old  wood,  a  few 
ragged,  misshapen  trees,  little  better  than  bare  poles, 
stuck  here  and  there  over  the  surface.  The  reader 
will  readily  conceive  the  horror  of  the  proprietor  when 
he  discovered  that  the  leveling  Goths  had  not  con- 
tented themselves  with  smoothing  the  ground,  but  had 


HAZAED   OF   PREPARATORY   OPERATIONS.  2^)0 

also  swept  away  trees  which  it  would  take  a  century 
to  replace.  It  was  with  deep  sympathy  that  we  sur- 
veyed the  scene  of  desolation,  mingled  with  regret, 
that  for  the  preservation  of  many  elements  (^f  beautv 
which  had,  without  doubt,  existed,  we  had  arrived 
nine  months  too  late. 

li'ofe. — In  whatever  relates  to  the  subject  of  this 
chapter,  a  natural  taste,  matured  by  cultivation,  and 
years  of  observation,  is  necessary  in  any  one  propos- 
ing to  practice  upon  it.  Neither  the  cultivation  nor 
the  observation  i-equired  for  the  maturity  of  a  proper 
taste  in  the  laying-out  and  construction  of  parks,  or 
other  grounds,  is  to  be  acquired  from  books  alone. 
Nature  itself,  in  all  her  moods  and  circumstances, 
should  be  closely  studied.  Among  the  professional 
"arts,"  that  of  ''Landscape-gardening"  should  be  the 
least  artistic  in  its  operations.  It  lias  to  deal  with 
nature  alone,  and  is,  in  its  true  sense,  but  nature  di- 
vested of  its  prurient  excesses,  and  modified  into  sim- 
plicity and  beauty.  Art,  of  itself,  in  the  disposi- 
tion of  woods  and  waters,  is  poor,  compared  with 
nature,  in  clothing  the  earth  with  trees,  and  lighting 
it  up  with  waters.  The  cultivation  of  the  earth  is 
art,  so  far  as  digging  its  surface,  deposit  of  seeds,  or 
setting  of  plants,  are  concerned ;  but  in  all  that  suc- 
ceeds, nature  is  the  only  operator.  Nature  may  bo 
guided  and  directed,  but  all  the  interference  of  art  can 
add  no  beauty  to  shape  or  efl'ect.  The  surfaces  of 
ground  may  be  modified;  abrupt  points,  or  banks, 
may  be  softened;  streams  of  water  may  be  changed 
in  their  courses,  and  by  their  presence  add  new  beau- 
ties to  a  chosen  spot ;  but  no  territory  thrown  into  fiin- 
ciful  designs  will  produce   an   effect  otlierwise   than 


300  PAEKS    AND    PLEASURE-GROL-XDS. 

repulsive  to  those  of  true  taste  and  judgment.  So  with 
trees  and  shrubbery.  Nature  has  given  each  variety 
its  own  chosen  form,  which  no  artificial  aid  will  im- 
prove. The  saw  and  the  pruning-knife,  to  remove  a 
superfluous  branch,  are  all  that  need  be  recjuired,  to 
give  them  the  highest  possible  expression;  and  what 
these  will  Jiot  do,  is  hardly  worth  attempting. 

Art,  in  this  relation,  when  deeply  studied,  is  apt  to 
degenerate  into  mannerism ;  and  mannerism  is  always 
stiff  and  ungraceful.  ITo  two  spots  of  ground,  or 
tracts  of  landj  are  exactly  alike.  In  improving  them, 
their  salient  points  should  be  ascertained.  They  should 
be  placed  in  prominent  relief,  and  their  peculiar  char- 
acteristics preserved.  Such,  even  when  repulsive  at 
first  view  and  considered  by  themselves  alone,  skill- 
fully treated,  may  become  the  most  agreeable  objects 
in  contrast  or  connection  with  others  of  opposite  char- 
acter. This  is  all  the  art  required  —  that  of  moulding 
and  softening  natural  features  into  agreeable  forms, 
and  giving  them  agreeable  expression.  To  accomplish 
this  in  the  most  acceptable  manner,  requires  an  en- 
larged and  comprehensive  scope,  both  of  vision  and 
imagination,  embracing  the  whole  as  it  will  appear 
when  perfected. 

Note. — Our  author  has  treated  this  part  of  his  sub- 
ject with  good  sense  and  judgment.  There  is  nothing 
of  the  quack  or  charlatan  about  him,  and  no  one  can  err 
in  following  his  clear  and  direct  suggestions.  Sir  Wal- 
ter Scott,  whose  true  spirit  and  feeling  he  has  strongly 
imbibed,  was,  in  theory  at  least,  one  of  the  most  ac- 
complished landscape-gardeners  of  the  present  century, 
and  has  left  some  of  the  best  instructions  in  that  line 
which  it  has  been  our  fortune  to  consult.     He  had  an 


GENKKAL    OBSERVATIONS.  301 

exquisite  eye  for  the  sublime,  tlie  grand,  the  pictur- 
esque, and  tlie  beautiful  in  nature.  He  has  delineated 
and  interwoven  them,  with  the  highest  efi'ect,  into  his 
various  writings,  giving  to  them  much  of  their  striking 
effect  and  beauty ;  and  to  his  essays  on  this  subject  we 
commend  the  scholar  who  is  solicitous  to  learn  in  so 
interesting  a  subject. 

To  the  American,  working  on  American  soil,  and 
under  an  American  sun,  the  practical  labors  of  cloth- 
ing the  ground  with  wood  should  be  widely  different 
from  the  teachings  of  British  authors.  The  humid 
climate  of  the  British  Isles  will  tolerate  a  far  different 
treatment  in  plantations  than  in  America.  Sir  Henry 
Stuart,  of  Allanton  Park,  in  Scotland,  many  years 
ago  published  an  elaborate  and  interesting  book  upon 
giving  immediate  effect  to  park  scenery,  by  transplant- 
ing large  trees.  It  was  read  with  much  interest  by 
many  an  American,  and  unfortunately  fallowed  in 
practice  by  some  of  them,  with  calamitous  results  — 
our  American  climate  being  unfitted  for  such  a  system 
of  transplanting  as  Sir  Henry  found  so  successful  in 
Scotland.     In  all  else  were  his  instructions  valuable. 

It  will  doubtless  be  some  years  before  our  country 
will  exhibit  many  striking  evidences  of  skill  and  con- 
tinued care  in  the  cultivation  of  parks  and  pleasure- 
grounds.  We  are  too  imstable  in  our  pursuits,  and 
our  landed  tenures  too  fitful  in  possession,  save  in  iso- 
lated cases,  to  show  those  striking  features  of  interest 
which  belong  to  the  more  permanent  estates  of  Euro- 
pean landholders.  Yet  much  may  be  done,  in  a  com- 
paratively short  time,  by  choosing  a  favorable  spot 
and  treating  it  with  taste  and  judgment.  The  very 
improvement  of  such  places,  properly  appreciated,  will 


302  PARKS   A27D   PLEASURE-GROrXDS. 

impress  themselves  in  the  affections  of  their  proprie- 
tors, and  induce  them  to  retain  them  as  heir-looms  to 
their  posterity.  Without  a  motive  of  this  kind,  our 
progress  must  be  slow  and  fitful,  dictated  by  fashion  or 
caprice.  Taste  and  refinement  may  seek  such  objects, 
and  such  pursuits  ;  but  without  a  proper  education  in 
those  who  are  heirs  to  such  possessions,  and  a  love  and 
veneration  for  them,  they  become  the  shuttlecock  of 
wealth,  and  a  resort  only  of  such  as  lead  or  follow  in 
the  train  of  fashion.  In  this  relation,  parks  and  pleas- 
ure-grounds entail  enlarged  expense  and  consequent 
vexation  in  the  occupation;  and,  after  a  short-lived 
possession,  are  whistled  away  like  any  other  bauble 
whose  annoyances  largely  overbalance  their  advan- 
tages; and  all  this  from  the  want  of  a  proper  under- 
standing of  their  true  purposes. — Ed. 


TUE    ARBORETUM.  303 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE  ARBORETUM.  .^ 

Definition  —  Recent  In,tro(]uction  —  General  Idea  of  Arrangement. 

Sect.  1.  Scientific  Treatment  of  the  Arboretum  —  Introductory  Re- 
marks—Dr.  Lindley's  Classification  of  the  Natural  Orders  —  Ex- 
planations—  Synopsis  of  Orders  and  Genera — Application  of  Prin- 
ciples—  Transference  of  the  System  to  the  Ground. 

Sect.  II.  Decorative  Treatment  of  the  Arboretum  —  Object  in  View  — 
Employment  of  Larger  Trees  —  Lawns  — Surfaces  Planted  —  Ever- 
greens—  A.rboretums  Attached  to  Private  Residences  —  Sites  in 
Pleasure-grounds. 

Ak  arboretum,  as  now  planted,  may  be  defined  to 
be  a  collection  of  hardy  trees  and  shrubs,  arranged 
according  to  their  natural  aifinities.  The  diiferent 
species  and  varieties  are  placed  together  under  the 
genera,  orders,  and  natural  groups  to  which  they  be- 
loncr;  and  bv  this  means,  their  resemblances  and  dif- 
ferences  are  more  easily  recognized  and  distinguished  — 
from  their  being  brought  into  proximity  —  than  they 
•would  be  in  any  promiscuous  distribution.  The  aiGni- 
ties  to  which  we  have  alluded  are  best  preserved  when 
the  arrangement  adopted  is  that  of  some  one  of  the 
botanical  systems  constructed  on  the  principle  of 
Natural  Orders ;  and  fortunately,  these,  too,  exhibit 
most  conspicuously  those  more  external  and  prominent 
characters  which  are  apt  to  strike  the  eye  of  even  a 
casual  observer.     We  have  thus  a  happy  union  of  the 


304  PAKKS    AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

scientific  and  the  popular  elements.  Such  collections 
of  trees  and  shrubs  are  extremely  interesting  to  the 
botanist,  as  presenting  to  his  outward  eye,  in  material 
and  living  presence,  the  various  forms  which  in  their 
more  refined  relations  enter  into  his  abstract  and  re- 
condite arrangements;  but  they  also  possess  much 
interest  to  the  general  student  of  nature,  exhibiting,  as 
they  do,  the  number  and  diverse  characters  of  the 
trees  and  underwood  which  tenant  the  mighty  forests, 
the  tangled  brakes,  the  stunted  scrubs,  and  barren 
heaths,  that  cover  the  valleys,  plains,  and  mountains 
of  the  colder  regions  of  the  globe. 

Arboretums  are  only  of  recent  introduction  as  deco- 
rative accompaniments  to  country  residences  and  pub- 
lic gardens.  For  a  long  period,  indeed,  a  considerable 
variety  of  trees  and  shrubs  have  been  cultivated  in 
parks  and  pleasure-grounds  ;  and  flowering  shrubs,  in 
particular,  have  always  been  favorite  materials  of  or- 
nament in  flower-gardens.  But  scientific  classifications 
of  these  forms  of  vegetable  life  received  little  attention 
previous  to  the  formation,  in  1823,  of  the  arboretum 
in  the  garden  belonging  to  the  London  Horticultural 
Society,  at  Turnham  Green.  Since  that  great  and 
meritorious  collection  attracted  the  notice  which  was 
due  to  it,  many  similar,  though  generally  less  exten- 
sive, arboretums  have  been  formed ;  so  that  now  no 
moderate  sized  country  residence  or  public  park  and 
garden  can  be  considered  complete  unless  something 
of  the  kind  enters  into  their  arrangements.  Undoubt 
edly  the  finest  arboretum  now  in  existence,  at  least  so 
far  as  we  are  aware,  is  that  in  the  Koyal  Gardens  at 
Kew,  though  even  there  the  limitation  of  the  space  to 
which  it  is  restricted  leaves  some  reasons  for  regret, 


ABBORETUM.  305 

wliicb,  kowever,  we  trust  wiil  be  removed  by  the  na- 
tional liberality  as  applied  and  regulated  by  the  Com- 
missioners of  Woods  and  Forests. 

In  order  to  realize  its  aims  and  adequately  to  fulfill 
its  main  purposes,  an  arboretum  requires  a  botanical 
arrangement;  and  that  commonly  adojDted  has  been 
the  Xatural  System  of  the  celebrated  De  Candolle. 
Such  is  the  method  followed  by  Loudon  in  his  great 
work,  "  The  Arboretum  Britannicum,"  and  also  in  his 
abridgment  of  it  in  his  "Encj'clojDOBdia  of  Trees  and 
Shrubs."  In  this  arrangement  the  Natural  Orders  are 
thrown  into  three  great  divisions,  which,  in  the  actual 
construction  of  an  arboretum,  we  have  found  to  be  not 
a  little  unwieldy  and  unmanageable.  We  very  greatly 
prefer  the  classified  Alliances  of  orders  given  by  Dr. 
Lindley  in  his  "Vegetable  Kingdom,''  as  allowing  a 
more  unfettered  distribution  of  the  materials,  and 
therefore  yielding  more  abundant  opportunities  for  the 
eliciting  of  picturesque  effects  than  any  other  system 
we  have  yet  studied.  We  have  no  doubt  that  a  care- 
ful examination  of  Dr.  Lindley's  valuable  work,  and 
a  practical  acquaintance  with  the  subject,  will  lead 
most  impartial  inquirers  to  tlie  same  conclusion.  At 
the  same  time  the  reader  is  reminded  that  any  botan- 
ical arrangement  of  living  vegetables  can  be  only  an 
approximation  of  a  very  fragmentary  chai*acter.  Trees 
and  shrubs  composfe  only  a  part  of  the  systehi  of  na- 
ture, though  happily  some  of  the  groups  are  very  com- 
plete, even  when  made  up  of  the  hardy  species.  It  is 
evident  that  the  linear  arrangements,  such  as  tliose  to 
be  found  in  catalogues  of  names,  are  not  to  be  enter- 
tained as  satisfactory.  The  distribution  is  necessarily 
made  on  superficial  space,  that  is,  on  space  of  two 


306  PARKS   AND  PLEASUEE-GEOUNDS. 

dimensions,  as  it  is  tecbnieallj  called.  Any  one  wiio 
studies  the  interesting  indications  of  ^'position,"'  ap- 
pended by  Dr.  Lindley  to  each  of  his  natural  orders, 
will  readily  perceive  the  difficulties  which  exist  in  this 
cpiartcr,  Sonie  have  thought  that  a  perfect  coordina- 
tion of  affinities  can  be  made  only  on  space  of  three 
dimensions,  as,  for  examj^le,  in  the  manner  the  stars 
are  distributed  in  the  firmament.  Vie  can  not  pursue 
this  subject,  which  would  lead  us  into  the  most  pro- 
found depths  of  the  science  of  botany ;  and  indeed 
we  need  not  enter  into  it,  as  in  the  actual  formation  of 
an  arboretum  we  are  compelled  to  work  on  surfaces. 
Let  it  be  remembered  then,  that  both  on  account  of  the 
fragmentary  nature  of  the  materials  employed,  and 
their  numerous  and  intertwining  relations,  as  well  as 
the  superficial  form  of  the  space  operated  on,  the  ar- 
rangement can  only  be  an  approximation  when  con- 
sidered as  a  whole. 


Sect.  I.  —  ScieisTific  Teeatment  of  the  Aeboretcm. 

In  this  section  it  is  proposed  to  give  a  sketch  of  the 
Natural  System  of  botany  as  it  may  be  embodied  in 
a  living  collection  of  hardy  trees  and  shrubs.  This, 
we  are  aware,  may  appear  something  difiiM-ent  IVom, 
and  discordant  with,  the  other  subjects  treated  in  this 
volume ;  nevertheless,  on  mature  consideration,  we 
feel  constrained  either  to  present  it. to  our  readers  as 
absolutely  necessary  to  render  the  remainder  of  our 
remarks  intelligible,  or  to  omit  the  interesting  subject 
of  the  arboretum  altogether.  "We  might  as  vrell  dis- 
cuss the  topography  of  a  country  without  a  map,  as 


SCIENTIFIC   TREATMENT   OF   THE    ARBORETUM.        307 

describe  an  arboretum,  or  give  directions  for  its  forma- 
tion, without  reference  to  the  scientific  principles  on 
which  its  arrangement  is  based.  We  trust  the  reader 
will  not  be  repelled  by  the  terminology,  which  it  must 
be  owned  has  a  sumewhat  formidable  look,  but  which 
no  one  has  ever  imagined  could  be  materially  simpli- 
fied, and  at  tlie  same  time  retain  its  exactness.  Even 
the  unbotanical  reader,  by  running  his  eye  along  tho 
English  names,  will  be  able  to  form  a  pretty  correct 
conception  of  the  materials  of  which  an  arboretum  is 
composed.  Persons  about  to  undertake  the  execution 
of  such  work  will  find  in  the  following  synopsis  the 
general  outlines  of  an  arrangement  which  they  may 
modify  or  abridge  according  to  the  special  objects  they 
have  in  view.  To  those  who  may  think  our  labor  use- 
less, we  shall  only  say  that  we  should  have  considered 
a  much  slighter  sketch  a  boon  the  first  time  we  were 
called  to  lay  out  an  arboretum. 

As  already  stated,  we  prefer  Dr.  Lindley's  arrange- 
ment of  the  natural  orders,  as  most  suited  for  the 
efiective  adornment  of  an  arboretum ;  accordingly  we 
have  borrowed  the  following  syllabus  of  classification, 
with  some  very  slight  modifications  of  the  genera, 
from  the  second  edition  of  his  "Vegetable  Kingdom." 
The  reader  who  de&ires  fuller  information  regarding 
the  alliances,  orders,  and  genera,  will  find  it  amply 
supplied  in  that  admirable  work.  Of  course,  in  regard 
to  the  species,  we  must  have  recourse  to  books  contain- 
ing detailed  descriptions,  or  to  the  larger  catalogues 
which  have  been  published  by  Loudon  and  others. 
Loudon's  "  Arboretum  Britannicum  "  and  "  Eucyclo- 
pffidia  of  Trees  and  Shrubs  "  may  also  be  consulted 
with  advantage,  or  rather  may  be  regarded  as  means 


308  PAIiKS   AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

essential  to  success.  "We  refer  throughout  to  his  ISTatu- 
ral  Orders,  exhibited  in  his  "  Encyclopaedia  of  Trees 
and  Shrubs,"  as  affording  detailed  descriptions  of  the 
species.  Any  hardy  plants  recently  introduced  may 
easily  be  inserted  into  their  proper  places  as  soon  as 
their  respective  genera  and  orders  are  ascertained. 

In  connection  with  the  genera  we  have  indicated 
whether  the  individuals  are  trees  or  shrubs,  whether 
they  are  deciduous  or  evergreen,  or  whether  they  are 
partly  the  one  and  the  other.  When  the  genus  is  not 
generally  hardy,  it  is  marked  as  sub-hardy ;  and  when 
there  are  hardy  and  sub-hardy  species  in  cultivation, 
this  fact  also  is  marked.  Where  no  such  distinction  is 
made,  the  plants  may  be  considered  as  hardy  in  the 
average  climate  of  the  United  Kingdom.  The  heights 
specified  must  be  regarded  as  the  general  altitude  of 
the  genus  rather  than  the  stature  of  the  individual 
epecies  ;  the  latter  being  often  extremely  varied,  in 
some  cases  ranging  toward  the  higher,  in  others  to- 
ward the  lower  limit.  Tlie  numbers  of  species  and 
varieties  are  sometimes  only  approximative.  Mr. 
Loudon,  for  example,  describes  170  willows,  while  we 
have  described  only  100  ;  and  even  that  lower  number 
it  woul(J  probably  be  difiicult  to  procure.  We  believe 
that  there  are  about  1500  species  and  1000  botanical 
varieties  of  hardy  trees  and  shrubs  —  exclusive  of 
what  may  be  called  florists'  varieties  of  roses,  azaleas, 
etc.  —  cultivated  in  our  well-appointed  nurseries.  Of 
coui'se  a  selection  of  these  is  sometimes  all  that  the 
extent  of  the  ground  to  be  occupied  will  permit  to  be 
employed. 

As  many  of  Dr.  Lindley's  alliances  and  orders  do 
not  contain  plants  which  are  ligneous  and  hardy,  they 


SCIENTIFIC    TREATMENT   OF   THE    ARBORETUM.      309 

^re  of  course  omitted.  For  the  sake  of  convenience 
we  have  marked  the  alliances  and  orders,  selected  for 
our  present  purpose,  with  running  numbei-s,  beginning 
iu  both  cases  from  unity ;  but  to  prevent  confusion 
we  have  quoted  the  numeration  of  "The  Vegetable 
Kingdom"  throughout,  giving  the  numbers  of  its 
classes  and  alliances  within  parentheses,  thus :  for  a 
class  (Y.  K.  lY.,)  and  for  an  alliance  (Y.  K.  16.)  "We 
beg  the  reader's  attention  to  the  following 

LIST    OF  ABBREVIATIONS. 

D.  Deciduous  ;  denoting  plants  shedding  their  leaves  in  autumn. 

E.  Evergreen. 

SE.  Sub-Evergreen  ;  applied  to  plants  retaining  part  of  their  foliage 

throifgh  winter. 
T.  Tree. 
S.  Slirub. 
CL  Climber  —  a  plant  climbing  or  twining,  and  requiring  or  finding 

support. 
Tr.  Trailing  —  applied  to  plants  creeping  or  lying  on  the  ground, 
h.  Hardy  ;  sh.  sub-hardy,  i.  e.  hardy  in  some  places  but  not  in  others. 
Sp.  Species  ;  v.  botanical  variety. 


SYNOPSIS 

OF  THE  NATURAL  ORDERS  AXD  GENERA  OF  PLANTS  WHICH  MAY  BE  EMPLOTBD 
IN    FORMING    AN    ARBORETUM. 

Class  ENDOGENS.  (V.  K.  IV.) 

Alliance  1.  LILIALES.  (V.  K.  16.) 

Ord.  1.  LiLiACE.E.     Lilijworts.     (Lindl.  62  ;  Loud.  80.) 

Yucca.     Adam'a  Needle.     E.  S.  sh.    4-10  ft    Sp.  10  ;  v.  2. 
Ruscus.     Stitcher's  Broom.     E.  S.    2-3  ft     Sp.  4  ;  v.  3. 
Borya.    D.  S.    5-8  ft    Sp.  3. 

Cl.^ss  DICTYOGENS.  (V.  K.  V.) 

Alliance  2.  DICTYOGENS.  (Lindl.) 

Ord.  2.  Smilace.c.    Sarsaparillas.      LindL  69  ;  Loud.  79.) 
Smilax.    E.  D.  CI.    Sp.  16. 


810  PARKS   AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

Class  GYAINOGENS.  (V.  K.  VI.) 

Alliance  3.  GYMNOGENS.  (Lindl.) 

Ord.  3.  PncACE^.     Conifers.     (Lincll  74  ;  Loud.  77.) 
Suh-ord.  1.  Abiete/E.     Firs. 

Firms.    Pine.    E.  T.  S.     10-100  ft.     Sp.  67  ;  v.  27. 

Abies.    Fir  and  Cedar.     E.  D.  T.  S.      10-200  ft.     Sp.  40  ;  v. 
29.    Picea.     Larix.     Cednis. 

Araucaria.     Chili  Pine.     E.  T.     100  ft.     Sp.  1. 

Ciinninghamia.     E.  T.  sli.     Sp.  1. 

Sequoia.     E.  T.  h.  sh.     50-200  ft.     Sp.  2. 
Sub-ord.  2.  Cltresse^. 

Juniperus.     Juniper.    E.  T.  S.  h.  sh.     1-40  ft.     Sp.  31  ;  v.  12. 

Callitris.     E.  T.  sh.    30-40  ft.     Sp.  1. 

Libocedrus.     Chili  Arborvita.    E.  T.  h.  sh.    30-70  fc     Sp.  3. 

Biota.     Chinese  Arhorcitce.     E.T.  S."h.  sh.     15-50  ft.    Sp.  5  ; 
V.  4. 

Thuia.     Arbomtm.     E.  T.  S.     15-40  ft.  Sp.  3. 

Cupressus.     Cijpress.     E.  T.  S.  h.  sh.      15-40.      Sp.  10  ;  v.  2. 

Cbamtecyparis.     White  Cedar.     E.  T.     10-30  ft.     Sp.  5  ;  v.  3. 

Taxodium.     Deciduous  Cypress.    D.  T.  h.  sh.    20-70  ft.     Sp.  4, 

Glyptostvobus.     E.  S.  h.  sh.     10-15  ft.     Sp.  2. 

Cryptomeria.    Japan  Cedar.     E.  T.  h.  sh.     15-50  ft     Sp.  2. 

Fitzroya.     Fiiiroy  Yew.    E.  T.     20-100  ft.     Sp.  1. 

Sax-Gothea.     Prince  Albert's  Yew.     E.  T.  30  ft.     Sp.  1. 
Ord.  4.  Taxace^.     Taxads.     (Lindl.  75  ;  Loud.  76.) 

Taxus.     Yew.    E.  T.     10-40  ft.    Sp.  3  ;  v.  9. 

Podocarpus.     Lobb's  Yeic.     E.  T.     40  ft.     Sp.  1. 

Torreya.     Torrey's  Yew.     E.  T.    20-40  ft.     Sp.  3. 

Cephalotaxus.     Japanese  Yew.     E.  T.    20-30  ft.     Sp.  5. 

Salisburia.     Maiden-hair  Tree.    D.  T.     i:--50.     Sp.  1. 

Class  EXOGENS.  (V.  K.  VII.) 

Alliance  4.  AMEIsTALES.  (V.  K.  18.) 

Ord.  5.  Casuauinace/E.     Bee/woods.     (Liiidl,  77.) 

Casuarina.     E.  S.  sh.  W.    9-12  ft.     Sp.  1. 
Ord.  6.  Betulack^.    Birchworts.     (Lindl.  78;  Loud.  69.) 

Betula.    Birch.     D.  T.  S.     3-60  ft.     Sp.  12;  v.  11. 

Alnus.    Alder.    D.  T.  S.    6-60  ft.    Sp.  11 ;  v.  10. 
Ord.  7.  Altingiace.*:.    Liquidambar.     (Lindl.  79  ;  Loud.  73.) 

Liquidambar.     D.  T.     30-40  ft.     Sp.  2. 
Ord.  8.  Sai.icace.e.     WHlomrorts.     (Lindl.  80  ;  Loud.  68.) 


STN0P8IS.  311 

Salix.     Willow.     D.  T.  S.     3-70  ft.     Sp.  100  ;  v.  15. 
Populus.    Foplar.    D.  T.    30-100  ft.    Sp.  18  ;  v.  15. 
Ord.  9.  Myricack.£.     Gdeicoria.     (Lindl.  81  ;  Loud.  74.) 
Myrica.     Gcdc.     D.  E.  S.     3-12  ft.     Sp.  2  :  v.  1. 
Comptonia.     D.  S.     3-4  ft.     Sp  1. 
Ord.  10.  El^agnace.e.     Oleasters.     (Lindl.  82  ;  Loud.  62.) 
Shepherdia.     D.  T.  S.     8-20  ft.     Sp.  2. 
Hippophae.    D.  T.  S.     C-IG  ft.     Sp.  2  ;  v  1. 
Elseagnus,    D.  T.  S.     10-20  ft.     Sp.  7  ;  v,  3. 
Alua-tce  5.  URTICALES.    (V.  K.  19.) 

Ord.  11.  MOEACE.E.     (Lindl.  87  ;  Loud.  65.) 

Morus.     Mulberry.    D.  T.    20-30  ft,     Sp.  4;vrl3 
Madura.    D.  S.    6-10  ft    Sp.  1. 
Ficus.    Fig.    D.  T.  S.    5-20  ft.    Sp.  I. 
Ord.  12.  Plataxacf.^.     (LiTid].\i9  ;  Loud.  72.) 

Platanus.     Plane.     D.  T.  S.  h.    60-?0  ft.     Sp.  4  ;  v.  3. 
Alliance  6.  EUPHORBIALES.     (V.  K.  20.) 

Ord.  13.  EupnoaBiACE.E.     (Lindl.  90  ;  Loud.  64.) 
Buxus.     Box.     E.  S.     4-15  ft.     Sp.  2;  v.  18. 
Ord.  14.  EMPETttACE.E.     Crowhcrrics.     (Lindl  93;  Loud.  78.) 
Empetvum.     Crouberry.     E.  S.     6-12  in.     Sp.  3 ;  v.  8. 
Alliance  7.  QUERNALES.  (V.  K.  21.) 

Ord.  15.  CoEYLACE.E.     Madum-U.     (Lindl.  Do;  Loud.  70.) 
Carpinus.     Hornbeam.     D.  T.     J 0-70  ft.     Sp.  3  ;  v.  2. 
Ostrya.     Hop-hornbeam.     D.  T.     15-40  ft.    Sp.  2, 
Corylus.    Hazd.     D.  T.  S.    5-50  ft.    Sp.  4 ;  v.  8. 
Fagus.    Leech.    D.  E.  T.    20-80  ft.    Sp.  3  ;  v.  6. 
Castanea.    Spanish  Chestnut.     D.  T.  S.     8-80  ft.     Sp.  2  ;  v.  G. 
Quercus.     Oak,  Ilex.    D.  E.  T.  S.     15-103  ft     Sp.  36  ;  v.  48. 
Ord.  16.  JvGLANDACE^.     Jvglands.     (Lindl.  96  ;  Loud.  67.) 
Juglans.     Walnvi.     D.  T.     30-60  ft     Sp.  4  ;  v.  4. 
Caryn.     Hickory.    D.  T.     60-80  ft     Sp.  8  ;  r.  2. 
Ptorocnrya.     D.  T.    20-40  ft     Sp.  i. 
Alliance  8.  GARRYALES.  (V.  K.  22.) 

Ord.  17.  GAuuyACE.«.     Garryads.     (Lindl.  97;  Loud.  71.) 
Garry  a.     E.  S.     6-10  ft     Sp.  2. 
Alliance  9.  MENISPERMALE3.  (V.  K.  23.) 

Ord.  IS.  ilENisptniMACE.E.     Menispermads.    (Lindl.  104;  Loud.  5.) 
ileni.spernaum.     Moonsced.    D.  CI.    8-10  ft     Sp.  2. 
CocculuR.     E.  Tr.     1-1 3^  feet     Sp.  1. 
Alliance  10.  VIOLALES.  (V.  K.  26.) 

Ord.  19.  Flacouktiacea     Bixadi.    (LindL  110;  Loud.  23.) 


312  PARKS   AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

Azara.    E.  S.  W.    Sp.  1. 
0»d.  20.  Tamaricace.e.     (Lindl.  118  ;  Loud.  29.) 
Tamarix.     Tamarisk.    D.  S.    .5-15  ft.     Sp.  2. 
Alliance  11.  CIST  ALES.  (V.  K.  27.) 

Ord.  21.  CisTACK.E.     (Liiidl.  122  ;  Loud.  8.) 

Cistiis.    EocJc  F.osc.    SE.  S.  sh.  .  2-8  ft.    Sp.  12. 
Helianthemum.    Sun  Hose.    SE.  Tr.     6-12  in.     Sp.  8  ;  v.  20. 
Ord.  22.  BRASSICACE.E.     Crucifers.     (Lindl.  123  ;  Loud.  7.) 
Vella.     Cress  Rocket.    SE.  S.    2-4  ft.     Sp.  1. 
Alliance  12.  MALYALES.  (V.  K.  28.) 

Ord.  23,  Malvack.e.     Mallowmrts.     (Lindl.  130  :  Loud.  9.) 
Hibiscus.     Alihoia  Fndcx.     D.  S.    3-6  ft.    Sp.  1 ;  v.  13. 
Sida.    D.  S.    6-8  ft.    Sp.  1. 
Ord.  24.  Tiliaceje.     LindcnU^oms.     (Lindl.  131  ;  Loud.  10.) 
TUia.     Lime  Tree.    D.  T.     20-90  ft.     Sp.  3  ;  v.  11. 
Corchorus.     D.  S.    6-10  ft.    Sp.  1. 
Allianok  13.  SAPINDALES.  (V.  K.  29.) 

Ord.  25.  Polygalacea:.     Milkworts.     (Lindl.  133  ;  Loud.  58.) 

Polygala-     Milkwort.     E.  S.    6  in.    Sp.  1. 
Ord.  20.  Staphtlhace.k.     (Lindl.  135  ;  Loud  19.) 

St«phylea.    Bladder -nid.    D.  S.     6-10  ft.     Sp.  2. 
Ord.  27.  SArJNDACK.E.    Soapivotie.     (Lindl.  136  ;  Loud.  13.) 

Jilsculus.     Horse  Ohcsimit  sp.     D.  T.     20-CO  ft.     Sp.  6  ;  v.  4. 
Pavia.    Horso  Vhostmit  sp.     D.  T.  S.     4-40  ft.     Sp.  8  ;  m  3. 
KcelrcutM-ia.     D.  T.  30-10  ft.     Sp.  1. 
Ord.  28.  AcERACE.E.     Maples.    (Lindl.  138  ;  Loud.  13.) 

Acer.     Maple,  Sycamore.     D.  T.    20-80  I't.     Sp.  20  ;  v.  17. 
Negundo.    Box-elder.     D.  T.     30-50  ft.     Sp.  1 ;  v.  2. 
Alliance  14.  GUTTIFERALES.  (Y.  K.  30.) 

Ord.  29.  TEiixsTRCEMiACE.E.     I'hcads.     (Lindl.  142  ;  Loud.  11.) 
Malachodendron.     D.  T.    6-12  ft.     Sp.  1. 
Sfcuartia.    D.  S.    6-10  IL    Sp.  1. 
Gordonia.    D.  SE.  S.    6-10  ft.    Sp.  2. 
Ord.  30.  HvPERic.^cE^.     Tidsans.    (Lindl.  14G  ;  Loud.  12.) 

Hypericum.    S.  JbAn's  TFor/s.   D.  SE.  S.     1-5  ft.   Sp.  9;  v.  2. 
Alliance  15-  RANALES.  (V.  K.  32.) 

Ord.  31.  Magnoliace^.     .Magmlouls.     (Lindl.  151  ;  Loud.  3.) 
Magnolia.    D.  E.  T.  S.  h.  sh.     3-50  ft.     Sp.  10 ;  v.  10.   ■ 
Lirrodendron.     Tulip-tree.    D.  T.    40-80  ft.     Sp.  1 ;  v.  1. 
Ord.  32.  Anonace.t;.     Anonads.     (Lindl.  142  ;  Loud.  4.) 
Uvaria.    Asiminia  (syn.).     D.  S.     6-10  ft.     Sp.  1. 
Ord.  33.  RASirNcrLACE.F,.  Ranuncidoids.     (Lindl.  144;  Loud.  1.) 


SYNOPSIS.  313 

Clematis.     Virffin's  Boucr.     D.  E.  CI.     Sp.  16  ;  v.  18. 
Atragene.    D.  CI.    Sp.  3. 
P.neonia.     Pcwiy.    D.  S.     3-7  ft.     Sp.  1  ;  v.  6. 
Xantliorrbiza.     Ydlouroot.     D.  S.    2-3  ft    Sp.  1. 
Alliance  16.  BERBERALKS.  (V.  K.  33.) 

Ord.  34.  Berbekidacee.     Bcrbcrkls.     (Lindl.  159  ;  Loud  G.) 
Berberis.    Berberry.     D.  E.  S.     6-15  ft-     Sp.  20;v.  11, 
Mahonia.     E.  S.     1-7  ft    Sp.  6. 
Ord.  35.  ■  VITACE.E.     Vincxuorls.     (Lindl.  140  ;  Loud.  16.) 
Vitis.     Vine.     D.  CI.     Sp.  5  ;  v.  3. 
Cissus.    Ampchpsis  (syn.).    D.  CL    Sp.  1, 
Ord.  36.  PiTTOSPOBACE.t    P'dtosporads.     (LindL  141.) 
Pittosponnu.    E.  S.  W.    6-10  ft    Sp  1. 
Billardiera.     W.     Sp.  1. 
Sollya.    S.  W.    8-10  ft     Sp.  1. 
AiUAxcE  17.  ERIC  ALES.    (V.  K.  34.) 

Ord.  37.  Eeicacej:.     Heathworts.     (LindL  1G9;  Loud.  43.) 
(1.)  Ericew. 

Erica.    Heath.     E.  S.    3^-6  ft     Sp.  12;v.  15. 
Calluna.     Liitg.    E.  S.     1-3  ft     Sp.  1 ;  v.  12. 
Alenziesia.     Bryantkus  (syn.)     E.  S.    3^2"2  ft     Sp.  3. 
Andromeda.    D.  E.  S.    3^-10  ft    Sp.  I'e  ;  v.  12. 
Lyonia.    D.  E.  S.     2-5  ft     Sp.  10. 
CleUira.     D.  S.     3-4  ft     Sp.  5  ;  v.  1. 
Epegaea.     E.  Tr.     Sp.  2. 
Gaultheria.    E.  S.     1-3  ft.    Sp.  3. 
Pemetya.    E.  S.    2-6  ft    Sp.  4. 

Arbutus.    Straicherry-tree.    E.  S.  h.  sh.     3-25  ft     Sp.  10;  v.  6. 
Arctostaphylos.     Bear-berry.     E.  Tr.     Sp.  3. 
(2.)  RhododendrecB. 

Azalea.     D.  E.  S.     >^-6  ft.     Sp.  14  ;  v.  60. 
Kalmia.     E.  S.     1-5  ft     Sp.  35  ;  v.  7. 
Rhododendron.     E.  D.  S.  h.  sh.     1-15  ft     Sp.  35  ;  v.  60. 
Rhodora.    D.  S.    2-4  ft    Sp.  1. 
Leiophylluni.    D.  S.     3^-1,     Sp.  1. 
Ledum.    E.  S.    2-4  ft  "  Sp.  5. 
ALLIANCE  18.  RUTALES.  (V.  K.  35.) 

Ord.  38.  ANACARDIACE.E.     Terebinths.     (LindL  174  ;  Loud.  24.)' 
Pistacia.     E.  D.  L  sh.     Pistachia-tree.     10-20  ft     Sp.  3;  v.  5. 
Duvaua.    E.  S.  W.    Sp.  3. 
Rhus.    Sumachs.    D.  T.  S.  CL    4-20  ft     Sp.  8;v.  10. 

14 


314  PAKKS   AND   PLEASURE-GKOUNDS. 

Old.  39.  X.\XTiioxi-LACK.«.     X-niihoxyls.     (Lindl.  177;  Loud.  17.) 

Xanthoxylon.     Toothache-tree.    D.  S.    10-12  ft.     Sp.2;v.  1. 

Ptelea.     D.  S.     G-10  ft.     Sp.  2 ;  v.  2. 

Aihmtlms.     Tite  Ailanto.     D.  T.  sh.     15-50  ft,     Sp.  1. 
Ord.  40.  OcHXACK.E.     Coriaricx  (sjn.  Jjoud.)     (Lindl.  178;  Loud. 
18.) 

Coriaiia.     D.  S.     2-3  ft.     Sp.  1. 
Aluakcs  19.  SILENALES.  (V.  K.  37.) 

Ord.  41.  PoLYGo.NACE.E.     Buckwkeats.     (Lindl.  191 ;  Loud.  58.) 

Atraphaxis.     SE.  S.     .1^-3  ft.     Sp.  1. 

Tragopyruni.     SE.  S.     1-2  ft,     Sp.  3. 

Calllgonuni.     E.  S.     2-3  ft.     Sp.  1. 
Alliance  20.  CHENOPODALES.    (V.  K.  38.) 

Ord.  42.  Chenopodiace.k.     ChenopoJs.     (Lindl.  195;  Loud.  57.) 

Atriplex.     Orache.     SE.  S.    4-6  ft     Sp.  2. 

Diotis.    D.  S.    2-3  ft.    Sp.  1. 

Chenopodium.     Goose-foot.     D.  S.     2-3  ft,     Sp.  2. 
Alliance  21.  DAPHNALES.  (V.  K.  41.) 

Ord.  43.  Thyhelace.k     Daphnads.     (Lindl.  203  ;  Loud.  GO.) 

Daphne.    Spurge  Laurel.    E.  D.  S.  h.  sh.  1-4  ft.  Sp.  14  ;  v.  4. 

Mezereura.    Mezereon.     D.  S.    2-6  ft.     Sp.  1 ;  v.  2. 

Dirca.     Leatherwood.    D.  S.    2-4  ft.     Sp,  1. 
Ord.  44.  Laukace.e.     Laurels.    (Lindl.  205;  Loud.  59.) 

Lauras.    Sweet  Bay.     E.  S.     5-20  ft.     Sp.  1  ;  v.  6. 
Alliance  22.  ROSALES.  (V.  K.  42.) 

Ord.  45.  Calycanthace.e.     CaJycanihs.     ( Lindl.  207  ;   Loud.  27.) 

Calycanthus.     Allspice.     D.  S.     3-8  ft.     Sp.  4  ;  v.  9. 

Chimonanthus.    Winter -flower.   D.  S.  W.    4-6  ft.    Sp.  8;  v.  3. 
Ord.  4G.  Fabacif,^.     Leguminous  Plants.     (Lindl.  209  ;  Loud.  25.) 

Piptanthus.     SE.S.  sh.  W.     G-8  ft.     Sp.  1. 

Thermopsis.     SE.  S.  six.  W.     G-8  ft.     Sp.  1. 

Adenocarpus.     D.  S.    2-10  ft,     Sp.  5. 

Ulex.     Whin,  Furzt.     E.  S.    2-10  ft.     Sp.  4  ;  v.  I. 

Spartium.     Spanish  Broom.    E.  S.     6-10  ft.     Sp.  1 ;  v.  2. 

Genista.    Broom.    D.  SE.  S.  Tr.     1-6  ft,     Sp.24;v.8. 

Cytisus.     Cytians.  Laburiuim.     D.  SE.  T.  S.  Tr.     1-30  ft. 
Sp.  27  ;  V.  9. 

Ononis.     Rest-harrow.     D.  S.     2-10  ft.     Sp.  2. 

Indigofera.     Indigo.     D.  S.  W.     Sp.  2. 

Amorpha.    Bastard  Indigo.     D.  S.     2-10  ft.     Sp.  6 ;  v.  i. 

Wisteria.     D.  CI.  W.     Sp.  1. 

Robinia.     Locust-lree.    D.  T.  S.    6-60  ft.     Sp.  8 ;  v.  19 


SYXorsis.  315 

Sutherlandia.    D.  S.    5-8  ft.    Sp.  1. 

Colutea.    Bladder-senna.     D.  S.     3-12  ft     Sp.  5. 

Caragana.    Siberiun  Pea-tree.    D.  T.  S.  1-20  ft.  Sp.  13 ;  v.  4. 

Haliraodendrou.     Salt-tree.    D.  S.    3-6  ft     Sp.  2 ;  v.  3. 

Astragalus.     Milk-tctcL     D.  S.     6-12  in.     Sp.  1. 

Coroiiilla.     Scorpion-senna.     D.  S.     3-10  ft     Sp.  4. 

Edwardsia.    E.  S.  W.    Sp.  1. 

Sophora.    D.  T.    30-50  ft-    Sp.  2. 

Virgilia.     D.  T.  S.     10-30  ft     Sp.  2 ;  v.  4. 

Gyrunocladus.     D.  T.     10-30  ft     Sp.  2  ;  v.  4. 

Cercis.    Judas-tree.    D.  T.  S.     10-30  ft     Sp.  2 ;  v.  4. 

Gleditschia.     D.  T.     15-50  ft     Sp.  6 ;  v.  7. 

Acacia.     D.  S.  sh.    Sp.  3. 
Ord.  47.  Deupace.e.     Almondicorts.    (Lindl.  210;  Loud.  26.) 

Amygdalus.     Almond.     D.  T.  S.    2-20  ft.  Sp.  4 ;  v.  9. 

Persica.     Peach.    D.  T.  W.     Sp.  2 ;  v.  8. 

Prunus.     Plum.     D.  T.  S.    3-30  ft.     Sp.  9  ;  t.  13. 

Armeuiaca.     Apricot.    D.  T.  W.    Sp.  4 ;  v.  4. 

Cerasus.     Cherry  and  Laurels.     D.  E.  T.  S.     3-60  ft.  Sp.  30 ; 
T.  18. 
Ord.  48.  Pomaces.     Appleicorts.    (Lindl.  211 ;  Loud.  26.) 

Cydonia.     Quince.     D.  T.  S.    5-20  ft    Sp.  3 ;  v.  5. 

Pyrus.    Pear,  Apple.    D.  T.  S.    4-CO  ft    Sp.  42 ;  v.  29. 
Aria.     Malv^.     Sorlnis. 

Mespilus.    Medlar.    D.  T.     10-20  ft     Sp.  2 ;  v.  4. 

Amelanchier.     D.  T.     15-30  ft     Sp.  5;v.  3. 

Cotoneaster.     D.  E.  SE.  S.  Tr.     2-10  ft.     Sp.  10;  v.  5. 

Photinia.     E.  T.  h.  sk     15-20  ft     Sp.  4. 

Cratffigus,     Hawthorn.     D.  E.  T.  S.     4-30  ft     Sp.  30;  t.  52. 

Stranvaesia.     E.  S.  W.     10-15  ft     Sp.  1. 
Ord  49.  ROSACE.E.     Roseicorts.     (Lindl.  213;  Loud.  26.) 

Rosa.    Rose.    D.  E.  S.  CI.    1-20  ft    Sp.  63 ;  v.  35. 

Potentilla.     Cinquefoil.     SE.  S.     1-4  ft     Sp.  3  ;  v.  2. 

Rubus.    Bramble,  Raspberry.   D.  S.  T.    2-10  ft    Sp.  13;v.  l'3. 

Purshia.     D.  S.  sh.    2-3  ft     Sp.  1. 

Dryas.     E.  T.     6  in.     Sp.  1. 

Kerrea.     D.  S.     2-3  ft     Sp.  1. 

Spiraea.     Queen  of  tli£,  meadows.     D.  S.  h.  sh.     2-10  ft     Sp. 
26 ;  V.  4. 
Alliance  23.  SAXIFRAGALES.  (V.  K.  43.) 

Ord.  50.  Hydeangeaoe^.     (Liudl.  215;  Loud.  34.) 

Hydrangea.    D.  S.  sh.    3-6  ft    Sp.  6 ;  v.  1. 


316  PARKS   AND   PLEASUEE-GEOUNDS. 

ALUAircK  24.  RHAMNALES.  (V.  K.  44.) 

Ord.  51.    Ulmace^.    Elmworts.    (Lindl.  221 ;  Loud.  66.) 

Celtis.    Nettle-tree.    D.  T,     15-40  ft.     Sp.  9 ;  v.  2. 

Planera.     D.  T.    20-60  ft.     Sp.  12  ;  v.  1. 

Ulmus.     Elm-tree.    D.  T.    40-80  ft.     Sp.  12;v.  41. 
Ord.  52.  Rhajixace^e.     Rhamnads.     (Lindl.  222;  Loud.  22.) 

Paliuru^     ChrisVs  thorn.     D.  T.  S.     10-20  ft.     Sp.  2. 

Zizyphus.     D.  S.     5-10  ft.     Sp.  3. 

Rhamnus.    Buckthorn.    D.  E.  T.  S.    2-20  ft.     Sp.  16  ;  v.  6. 

Ceanotbus.    D.  E.  S.  h.  sh.    4-6  ft.    Sp.  4. 

Bepdiemia.     D.  CI.    8-10  ft.    Sp.  1. 

CoUetia.     D.  S.     3-4  ft.     Sp.  1. 
Ord.  53.  CELASTRACE.E.     spindle-trees.     (Lindl.  225;  Loud.  20.) 

Euonymus.    Spindle-tree.    D.  SE.  T.  S.L.  sh,   6-30  ft   Sp.7. 

Celastrus.    Staff-tree.     D.  CI.     12-20  ft.     Sp.  1. 

Hartogia.     E.  S.     1-2  ft.     Sp.  1. 

Myginda.     E.  S.     3-4  ft.     Sp.  1. 
Ord.  54.  Sapotace.e.    Sapotads.    (Lindl.  227;  Loud.  46.) 

Ar^ania.     E.  S.  W.     Sp.  1. 

Bumelia.     SE.  T.  S.  h.  sh.     8-15  ft     Sp.  5. 
Ord.  55.  Styr.\cace-e.    Storaxworts.    (Lindl.  228  ;  Loud.  44, 45.) 

Styrax.    D.  S.    4-10  ft    Sp.  4. 

Halesia.    Snowdrop-tree.     D.  T.     10-30  ft     Sp.  3 
Aluance  25.  GENTIAN  ALES.  (V.  K.  45.) 

Ord.  56.  EBENACE.E.     Ehenads.     (LindL  229  ;  Loud.  47.) 

■  Dyospyrus.     Date-plum.     D.  T.     20-30  ft.     Sp.  4  ;  v.  2. 
Ord.  57.     AQuiFOLtACEi.    Hollywdrts.     (Lindl."230;  Loud.  21.) 

Ilex.    HoUy.     E.  T.  S.     10-40  ft    Sp.  12  ;  v.  24. 

Prinos.     Winter-berry.     D.  E.  S.     5-10  ft.     Sp.  7. 

Nemopantlies.    D.  S.     3-5  ft     Sp.  2  ;  v,  6. 
Ord.  58.  ApocyxACE^.     Dogbanes.    (Lindl.  231 ;  Loud.  50.) 

Vinca.     Periwinkle.     E.  S.     1-2  ft     Sp.  1 ;  v.  6. 
AlAanck  26.  SOLANALES.  (V.  K.  46.) 

Ord.  59.  Oleace.e.     Oliteworts.     (Lindl.  237  ;  Loud.  48.) 
Sui-ord.  1.  0le.e. 

Chionanthus.     Fringe-tree.     D.  S.     5-10  ft     Sp.  1 ;  v.  3. 

Olea.     Olive.     E.  S.  W.     Sp.  1. 

PhiUyrea.     E.  T.  S.     5-30  ft.     Sp.  9. 

LiguBtrum.     Privet.     E.  D.  S.     6-12  ft     Sp.  3  ;  v.  6. 
Sui-ord.  2.  FEAxrs'E.E. 

Fraxinus.    Ash.    D.  T.    30-100  ft    Sp.  20  ;  v.  24 

Qmus.    Flowering  Ash,    D.  T.    20-40  ft    Sp.  4. 


SYNOPSIS.      •  317 

Fontanesia.    SE.  S.     8-12  ft.    Sp.  1. 

Syringa.     Lilac.    D.  S.    G-14  ft     Sp.  4  ;  v.  8. 

Forsjthia.    D.  S.    8-10  ft.    Sp.  1. 
Ord.  GO.  SoLAXACE.E.    Nightsltadea.    (Liudl.  238  ;  Loud.  5J.) 

Fabiana.     E.  S.  W.     8-10  ft.     Sp.  1. 

Solanum.     Nightshade.     SE.  CI.     20-30  ft.     Sp.  1. 

Atropa.     Deadly  Nightshade.     D.  CI.     6-8  ft.'    Sp.  1. 

Giabowskia.     D.  S.     G-8  ft.    Sp.  1. 

Lyciuiu.     Box-thorn.     D.  CI.     6-30  ft.     Sp.  6. 
Ord.  61.  AscLEPiADACK^     Asclepiads.     (Lindl.  229  ;  Loud.  51.) 

Pcriploca.     Virginian  Silk.    P.  CI.     Sp.  1. 

Alliance  27.  ECHL\LES.  (V.  K.  48  ) 

Ord.  62.  JasminacExE.     Jasimineworts.     (Liudl.  249;  Loud.  it9.) 

Jasruiuum.    Jasmine.     SE.  S.     G-12  ft.     Sp.  7  ;  v.  3. 
Ord.  63.  Lamiace.e.     Labiates.     (Lindl.  255  ;  Loud.  55.) 

Lavandula.     Lavender.     E.  S.    2-4  ft.     Sp.  1. 

Rosmarinus.     Rosemary.     E.  S.    3-5  ft.    Sp.  1. 

Phloniis.     E.  S.    4-5  ft    Sp.  1. 
Ord.  G4.  Veebenace^e.     Verbens.     (Lindl.  256  ;  Loud.  56.) 

Vitex.     C/iaste-free.    D.  S.     6-8  ft     Sp.  3  ;  v.  1 
Ord.  65.  MYOPt)HACE.dE.     Myoporads.     (Lindl.  257.) 

Myopoi-um.    E.  S.  sh.    1-3  ft    Sp.  1. 
Alliance  28.  BIGNONIALES.  (V.  K.  49.) 

Ord.  66.  BiGXONiACE^.     liignoniads.     (Liudl.  262;  Loud.  52.) 

Bignonia.     Trumpet -fower.    D.  S.  CI.  W.     Sp.  1. 

Tecoina.     D.  CI.     Sp.  2 

Catalpa.     D.  T.  h.  sh.     Sp.  1. 
Ord.  67.  SciiEOPHULAKiACE/E.  Figworts.   (LindL2G4;  Loud..  54.) 

Maurandia.     S.  E.  CI.  W.     Sp.  L 

Pawlowuia.     D.  T.  sh.    20-40  ft     Sp.  1. 

Buddlea.     D.  S.    8-12  ft    Sp.  1. 
Alliance  29.  CAMPANALES.  (V.  K.  50.) 

Ord.  68.  Asteeace^.     Composites.     (Lindl.  273;  Loud.  42.) 

Aster.    Starwort.     D.  S.  8h.     4-5  ft     Sp.  2. 

Artemisia.     Wormwood.     D.  S.     3-4  ft     Sp.  1. 
Alliance  30.  MYRTALES.  (V.  K.  51.) 

Ord.  69.  Alangiace.e.     Alangiads.     (Lindl.  275 ;  Loud.  61.) 

Nyssa.     Jupelo.     D.  T.     10-15  ft     Sp.  4. 
Ord.  70.  Myktace.*.     Myrtlehlooms.     (Lindl.  282;  Loud.  74.) 

Puiiica.     Pomegranate.     D.  S.  "W.     Sp.  1 ;  v.  5. 

Myrtus.    Myrtle.     E.  S.  W.     Sp.  1  ;  v.  2. 


318  TAEKS   AND   PLEASUKE-GKOUNDS. 

Alliance  31.  GROSSALES.  (V.  K.  52.) 

Ord.  71.   Gbossulariace^.    Currantworls.  (Lindl.  287  ;  Loud.  32.) 

Ribes.     Currant.     D.  S.     2-10  ft.     Sp.  45 ;  v.  37. 
Ord.  72.  Escalloniace^.   Escalloniads.    (Lindl.  288  ;  Loud.  33.) 
Escallonia.     SE.  S.     3-10  ft.     Sp.  4 ;  v.  3. 
Itea.     D.  S.    2-5  ft.     Sp.  1. 
Ord.  73.  Philadelphace^.    Syringas.     (Lindl.  289  ;  Loud.  30.) 
Philadelphus.     Mock  Orange.    D.  S.   3-10  ft.    Sp.  12  ;  v.  4. 
Decuiuaria.     D.  S.  W.    4-5  ft.     Sp.  1. 
Deutzia.    D.  S.     3-10  ft.     Sp.  2;v.  4. 
Alliance  32.  CINCHONALES.  (V.  K.  54.) 

Ord.  74.  Vaociniace^.     Cranberries.     (Lindl.  291  ;  Loud.  4S.) 
Vaccinium.    Bleaberry,  Whortleberry.    D.  E.  S.    1-10  ft.   Sp. 

32  ;  V.  10. 
Oxycoccos.     Cranberry.     SE.  S.  Tr.     i<-2  ft.     Sp.  3. 
Ord.  75.  Capeifoliaceje.     Capri/oils.     (Lindl.  294  ;  Loud.  40.) 
Sub-ord.  1.     LoNiCERE^. 

Symphoricarpus.    Snowball-berry.    D.  S.    3-6  ft.    Sp.  4  ;  v.  1 
Dervilla.     D.  S.     3-4  ft.     Sp.  1. 
"Weigelia.    D.  S.    4-6  ft.    Sp.  1. 
Leycesteria.     SE.  S.  W.     5-7  ft.     Sp.  1. 
Caprifolium.     Honeysuckle.     D.  S.     Sp.  18. 
Sub-ord.  2.  Sambuce^. 
Viburnum.     Wayfaring -tree,  Lauristine.     D.  E.  S.     5-12  fL 

Sp.  19  ;  V.  11. 
Sambucus.     Elder.    D.  T.  S.    4-30  ft.     Sp.  4  ;  v.  8. 
Alliance  33.  UMBELLALES.  (V.  K.  55.) 

Ord.  76.  Apiace^.     UmbelUfers.     (Lindl.  296.) 

Bupleurum.     SE.  S.     4-6  ft.     Sp.  2. 
Ord.  77.  Araliace^.     Ivyicorts.     (Lindl.  297  ;  Loud.  36.) 
Aralia.    Angelica-tree.     D.  S.     5-12  ft.     Sp.  2. 
Hedera.    Ivy.    E.  01.     Sp.  6  ;  v.  8. 
Ord.  78.  Coenace^.     Cornels.     (Lindl.  298;  Loud.  37.) 
Benthamia.    SE.  S.  sh.     5-12  ft.    Sp.  1. 
Cornus.     Dogwood.     D.  S.     5-20  ft.     Sp.  1 ;  v.  2. 
Aucuba.     E.  S.    4-10  ft.     Sp.  1. 
Ord.  79.  Hamamelidace^.    Witch  JIazels.   (Lindl.  299  ;  Loud.  37.) 
Hamaraelis.     Witch  Hazel.     D.  T.     15-25  ft.     Sp.  1 ;  v.  2. 
Fotliergilla.     D.  S.     3-6  ft.     Sp.  1 ;  v.  2. 
Alliance  34.  ASARALES.  (V.  K.  56.) 

Ord.  80.  Santalaceje.     Sandahcoris.     (Lindl.  301  ;  Loud.  61.) 
Osyris.     PveVs  Cassia.     SE.  Tr.     Sp.  1. 


V 


SYNOPSIS. 


319 


Ord.  81.  LonAXTii.vcK.E.     Loranths.     (Liiidl.  302  ;  Loud.  3D.) 

Viscuni.     Misseltoe^    E.     Parasite. 
Old.  82.  Akistolochiace.'E.    Birthworts.    (Lindl.  303  ;  Loud.  G3  ) 

Aristolocliia.     Birthwort.     D.  CI.     Sp.  2. 


Conspectus  of  the  Classes,  Alliances,  and  Oedeks 

OF   THE    PltECEDING    AkIIANGEMENT. 


(The  Number  of  Genera,  Species,  and  I 
Order.) 
Class  EXDOGENS. 
Alliajice  1.    Liliales.  Ord, 

Ord.  I.  Liliacc.T. 

Gen.  3;  Sp.  17  ;  v.  5. 

Class  DICTYOGEXS. 
Alliance  2.  Dictyogens. 
Ord.  2.  Siiii]ac(.\T. 
Gen.  1;  sj).  IG. 


Class  GYM  COGENS. 
Alliance  3.  G'.x'.vogens. 
Ord.  3.  rin-.:oc£D.     17;  119;  45. 
Ahieicj:. 
CupresaecE. 
4.  Taxactae.     5  ;  11;  5. 
Gen.  22;  sp.  160;  v.  50. 

Class  EXOGENS. 
Alliance  4.  Amentales. 
Ord.  5.  CasuarinaccEB.    1  ;  1  ;  0. 
Ord.  6.  Betulaccae.    2;  23;  21. 

7.  Altingiaceae.     1  ;  2  ;  0. 

8.  Salicaceac.    2;  100;  30. 

9.  Myricaoea?.    2;  3;  1. 
10.  ELTa^rnacoJE.    3;  11;  6. 

Gen.  11  ;  sp.  140;  v.  76. 

Alliance  5.     UuTicALrs. 
Ord.  11.  Moracese.     3;  6;  13. 
12.  Platan  accaj.     1;  4;  13. 
Gen.  4  ;  sp.  10  •  v.  26. 


'arieties  are  marked  after  each 

Alliance  6.  Euphoueialks. 

13.  Eupliorbiaceae.     1;  2;  8. 

14.  Enipetraceae.     1  ;  2 ;  8. 
Gen.  2  ;  sp.  4  ;  v.  IG. 


Alliance  7.  Quernalf.s. 
Ord.  15.  Coiylacec-B.    6  ;  49  ;  70. 
16.  JuglandaceiE.    3;  13;  26. 
Gen.  9  ;  sp.  62 ;  v.  76. 


Alliance  8.   GARavALES. 
Ord.  17.  Garry acea;.    1  ;  2  ;  0. 
Gen.  1  ;  sp.  2. 

Alliance  9.    Menispkumales. 
Ord.  18.  Mcnispermacca!. 
Gen.  2  ;  sp.  3. 

Alliance  10.  Yiolales. 
Ord.  19.  Flacourtiaceae.    1  ;  1 ;  0. 
20.  Tamaricaceffi.    1  ;  2  ;  0. 
Gen.  2  ;  sp.  3. 

Alliance  11.  Cistales. 
Ord.  21.  Cistaceae.    2  ;  20  ;  20. 
22.  Brassicaccce.     1  ;  1  ;  0. 
Gen.  3  ;  sp.  21  ;  v.  20. 

Alliance  12.  Malvales. 
0,d.  23.  Malvaceae.    2  ;  2  ;  13. 
24.  Tiliaceae.    2;  4;  11. 
Gen.  4  ;  sp.  6  ;  v.  24. 


320 


PARKS    AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 


Alliance  13.  Sapindales. 
Ord.  25.  Polygalacese.    1 ;  1 ;  0. 
2G.  Staphyleacese.    1  ;  2 ;  0. 
9J.  Sapindaceaj.    3;  15;  7. 
28.  Aceraceae.    2  ;  21 ;  19. 
Gen.  7  ;  sp.  39  ;  v.  26. 

Alliance  14.  Guttiferalks. 
Ord.  29.  Ternstrcemiacese.  3;  4;  0. 
30.  Hypericacese.    1  ;  9  ;  2. 
Gen.  4  ;  sp.  13 ;  v.  2. 

Alliance  15.  Ran  ales. 
Ord.  31.  Magnoliaceae.  2;  11;  11. 

32.  Anonace£e.    1  ;  1 ;  0. 

33.  Ranunculacese.    4;  21;  24. 
Gen.  7  ;  sp.  33  ;  v.  35. 

Alliance  16.  Beebeeales. 
Ord.  34.  Berberidace£e.   2  ;  26  ;  11. 

35.  Vitacea?.  2  ;  6  ;  3. 

36.  Pittosporaceae.   3;  3;  0. 
Gen.  7;  sp.  35;  v.  14. 

Alliance  17.  Ericales. 
Ord.  37.  Ericaceie. 

EriceaB.   11  ;  69;  46. 

Ilhododendreas.  6;  61;  120. 
Gen.  17;  sp.  130;  v.  166. 

Alliance  18.  Rutales. 
Ord.  38.  Anacardiaceoe.  3  ;  14  ;  15. 

39.  Xanthoxylacese.  3  ;  4 ;  2. 

40.  Oclmacese.    1  ;  1  ;  0. 
Gen.  7  ;  sp.  19  ;  v.  17. 

Alliance  19.  Silenales. 
Ord.  41.  Polygonaceae. 
Gen.  3  ;  sp.  6. 

Alliance  20.  Chenopodales. 
Ord.  42.  ChenopodiacecB. 
Gen.  3  ;  sp.  5. 

Alliance  21.  Daphnales. 
Ord.  43.  Thymelacea;.   3  ;  16  ;  6. 


Ord.  44.  Ijauracea?.   1  ;  1 ;  6. 
Gen.  4  ;  sp.  17  ;  v.  12. 

Alliance  22.  Rosales. 
Ord.  45.  Calycanthacefe.  2;  12;  12. 
46.  FabacecB.    25  ;  130  ;  G9. 
\7.  Duprace£e.    5;  52;  52.- 

48.  Pomacese.    8  ;  97  ;  98. 

49.  Rosace£e.     7  ;  108 ;  54. 
Gen.  47  ;  sp.  399  ;  y.  285. 

Alliance  23.  Saxifragaleb. 
Ord.  50.  Hydrangeacese. 
Gen.  1;  sp.  6  ;  v.  1. 

Alliance  24.  Rhamnaleb. 
Ord.  51.  Ulmacea?.    3  ;  33  ;  44. 

52.  Rhamnace£e.     6  ;  27  ;  6. 

53.  Celestracea;.    4  ;  10  ;  0. 

54.  Sapotaceae.    2  ;  6  ;  0. 

55.  Styracese.    2  ;  7 ;  0. 
Gen.  17;  sp.  83;  v.  50. 

Alliance  25.  Gentianales. 
Ord.  56.  Ebenacera.   1  ;  4 ;  2. 

57.  Aqnifoliacea?.  4 ;  20 ;  30. 

58.  Apocynacese.     1 ;  1 ;  6. 
Gen.  6  ;  ep.  25  ;  v.  38. 

Alliance  26.  Solanales. 
Ord.  59.  Oleaceffi. 

Olea?.     4 ;  14  ;  9. 
Fraxinea3.     5  ;  30  ;  32. 

60.  Solanaceffi.    5 ;  10 ;  0. 

61.  Asclepiadaceae.    1 ;  1 ;  0. 
Gen.  15  ;  sp.  55  ;  v.  41. 

Alliance  27.  Echiales. 
Ord.  62.  Jasminacepe.    1  ;  7 ;  3. 

63.  Lamiaceas.   3  ;  3  ;  0. 

64.  Verbenaceae.    1  ;  3  ;  1. 

65.  Myoporaceae.    1 ;  1  ;  0. 
Gen.  0 ;  s]).  14  ;  v.  4. 


^ 


SYNOPSIS. 


321 


Alliance  28.  Bigxoxiai.es. 
Onl.  66.  Bignoniacese.    3  ;  4 ;  0. 
67.  Schrophulariacese.  3;  3;  0. 
Gen.  3  ;  sp.  7. 

Alliance  29.  Campax.xles. 
Ord.  68.  AsteracejE.  2  ;  3  ;  0. 
Composite. 
Gen.  2  ;  sp.  3. 

Alliance  30.  Mvrtales. 
Ord.  69.  Alangeaceaj.    1  ;  4 ;  0. 
70.  Myrtaceffi.    2;  2;  7. 
Gen.  3  ;  sp.  6  ;  v.  7. 

Alliance  31.  Gkossales. 
Ord.  71.  Grossulariaceaj,    1  ;  45  ; 
37. 

72.  Escalloniaceoe.   2 ;  5  ;  8. 

73.  PhUadelphaceae.  3;  15;  16. 
Gen.  6  ;  sp.  65  ;  v.  41. 


Alliance  32.  Cinchoxales. 

Ord.  74.  Vacciniaceae.  2  ;  25  ;  10. 

75.  Caprifoliaceae.    8;  60;  27 

LonicerccB. 

Sambucece. 

Gen.  10 ;  sp.  95 ;  v.  37. 

Alliance  33.  Umb  ell  ales. 
Ord.  76.  Apiaceae.    1 ;  2 ;  0. 

77.  Araliaceje.    2 ;  8  ;  8. 

78.  Coruaceae.    3  ;  3  ;  2. 

79.  HaraainelidaceiK.   2;  2;  4. 
Gen.  8  ;  sp.  15  ;  v.  14. 

Alliance  34.  Asahales. 
Ord.  80.  SantaJaceae.     1;  1;  0. 

81.  Lorauthaceie.    1;  1;  0. 

82.  Aristolocbiaccae.   1 ;  2;  0. 
Gen.  3  ;  sp.  4. 


Note. — ^The  extent  to  which  the  varieties  of  plants 
and  trees  in  the  arboretum  may  be  carried  is  to  be 
measurably  governed  by  the  locality.  Liberal  as  the 
foregoing  list  may  appear,  it  can  be  largely  and  profit- 
ably extended  by  selections  from  our  American  forests, 
while  some  of  the  trees  and  plants  named  should  be  ex- 
cluded, from  their  unsuitableness  to  the  climate. — Ed. 

A  careful  inspection  of  the  preceding  synopsis  will 
suggest  most  of  the  scientific  principles  on  which  the 
arrangement  of  an  arboretum  must  proceed.  It  will 
be  understood  that  the  individual  species  of  plants 
unite  to  form  genera,  the  lowest  but  most  perfect  com- 
binations of  vegetables  that  exist  in  nature.  It  will 
also  be  perceived  that  cognate  genera  coalesce  into 
orders,  which  are  the  next  important  aggregations ; 
and  these  orders,  bv  a  highlv  refined  analysis  and 
14* 


322  PAEKS   AND   PLEASUEE-GEOUXDS. 

synthesis  of  characters,  are  made  to  comprise  alliances 
and  classes.  These  successive  combinations,  then,  give 
rise  to  what  we  may  call  generic^  cardinal^  allied^  and 
classiJiG  groupings ;  the  last,  however,  we  mention 
chiefly  for  the  sake  of  completeness,  because,  though 
carefully  preserved,  it  will  be  almost  invisible,  except 
in  one  or  two  cases,  on  account  of  the  multitude  of 
subordinate  members  which  it  includes.  Every  one 
will  ad^nit  the  propriety  of  planting  each  genus  by 
itseif,  and  this  accordingly  is  the  first  step  in  the  ar- 
rangement. But  the  genera,  as  spread  out  on  the 
ground,  may  be  combined  into  orders ;  and  these 
orders,  again,  may  be  made  to  occupy  such  positions 
that  the  allied  races,  or  "alliances,"  may  be  marshaled 
together  in  space,  and  may  be  exhibited  to  the  eye  in 
living  presence  as  well  as  presented  to  the  understand- 
ing in  theory.  It  is  to  the  proper  collocation  of  the 
orders  and  alliances  that  attention  must  be  chiefly 
directed  in  the  scientific  treatment  of  the  arboretum. 

A  consideration  of  the  synopsis  will  bring  out  other 
important  results.  By  tracing  the  numbering  of  the 
orders  and  alliances,  as  quoted  from  "The  Vegetable 
Kingdom"  of  Dr.  Lindley,  the  reader  will  observe 
that  many  of  the  orders,  silliances,  and  even  classes, 
which  exist  in  a  comjDlete  system  of  j^lants,  are  ex- 
•cluded  from  our  list  by  the  conditions  imposed  by  our 
cold  climate  and  the  arborescent  growth  of  the  subjects 
employed.  The  orders  that  remain  are  often  found 
in  a  sadly  mutilated  state.  In  the  Fabacew,  for  exam- 
ple —  the  old  "pea  tribe,"  or  the  Papilionaceous  order, 
as  it  was  wont  to  be  called  —  the  genera,  as  estimated 
in  "  The  Vegetable  Kingdom,"  amount  to  467,  while 
we   have   been   able   to   assign    only   twenty-five   as 


PLANTING    AN    ABBOKKTUM.  323 

available  to  our  present  purpose.  It  is  hardly  needful 
to  point  out  the  immense  disruption  of  affinities  these 
cliasms  must  cause,  both  in  the  alliances  and  tlie  in- 
ternal structure  of  the  ordei-s.  Hence  the  arrangements 
of  an  arboretum  can  be  at  best  only  fragmentary ;  but 
that  is  no  reason  for  neglecting  or  disregarding  the 
materials  for  combination  which  are  within  our  reach. 
The  fragments  that  remain  to  us  arc  capable  of  assum- 
ing a  highly  scientific  form,  and  so  may  be  invested 
with  attractive  interest. 

Now,  in  planting  the  trees  and  shrubs  of  an  arbore- 
tum we  miglit  begin  at  one  end  of  tiie  classification, 
it  matters  not  at  whiclj,  and  taking  the  first  genus  that 
came  to  liand,  we  might  put  down  its  species  in  a 
straight  or  curved  line,  or  double  line,  and  we  might 
proceed  to  the  other  genera  successively,  till  we  had 
gone  through  the  whole  series,  as  Ave  would  wind  off 
a  thread  from  a  reel.  The  lines  might  be  drawn  along 
a  border  within  the  four  sides  of  an  inclosure,  or  might 
occupy  narrow  parallel  borders,  separated  by  walks, 
or  might  assume  the  form  of  a  spiral,  running  from 
the  exterior  of  the  space  to  its  center,  or  reversely. 
This  is  what  we  have  already  called  the  linear  arrange- 
ment; but  though  it  has  been  adopted  in  some  nurse- 
ries for  the  sake  of  mercantile  convenience,  it  is  highly 
objectionable  in  various  points  of  view.  Not  to  speak 
at  present  of  the  sacrifice  of  beauty  thus  made,  it  is 
evident  that  this  collocation  preserves  only  the  affini- 
ties which  a  genus  or  order  bears  to  that  immediately 
preceding,  and  to  the  other  immediately  succeeding; 
and  these  undoubtedly  do  not  include  the  whole  of  its 
relations.  As  already  noticed,  Dr.  Lindley,  in  his 
"  Vegetable  Kingdom,"  appends  to  each  of  his  orders 


324  PARKS    AND    PLEASUEE-GKOUNDS. 

an  instructive  exhibition  of  its  iwdiAow,    that  is,  he 
puts  the  order  in  question  in  the  center,  and  right  and 
left  of  it  the  two  orders  in  main  affinity,  while  two  in 
weaker  affinity  are  placed  over  and  under  it  at  right 
angles.     We  have  thus  a  stai\  composed  of  a  nucleus 
and  four  rays,  and  it  is  probable  that  it  would  be 
easy,  in  some  cases,  to  multiply  the  rays  considerably. 
Something  of  this  kind  ought  to  be  adopted  on  the 
ground  ;  but  it  is  not  difficult  to  perceive  that  the  stellar 
arrangement,  if  attempted  to  be  strictly  carried  out  in 
practice,  would  lead  to  great  complication  of  figure,  and, 
from  the  interlacing  of  affinities,  might  produce  inextri- 
cable confusion.      The  orders,  then,  must  be  formed 
into  minor  groups  or  masses  of  varying  form  and  size, 
according  to  their  extent — some  genera  will  require  a 
considerable  group  for  themselves  —  and  these  subor- 
dinate members  must  be  combined  and  coordinated 
in  conformity  with  the  principles  of  the  alliance  of 
which  they  form  parts.     (3nly  the  main  relations  can 
be  taken  into  account;    and  the  combination  should 
approach  that  of  a  map,  according  to  the  old  illustra- 
tion, suggested,  we  believe,  by  Linnaeus  himself.     Let 
the  reader  take  a  colored  map  of  England,  and  select 
one  of  the  midland  counties — such  as  Leicestershire — 
he  will  find  six  other  counties  conterminous  with  it, 
and  bounding  it  by  frontier  lines  of  varying  form  and 
length.    Nothing  can  afford  a  better  image  of  an  order 
or  alliance  of  orders,  in  the  natural  system,  as  repre- 
sented on  the  ground.     Of  course,  when  planted,  the 
boundaries  of  the  respective  genera  or  orders  must 
not  be  in  actual  contact.     They  should  bo  separated, 
not  by  a  dotted  line  as  in  maps,  not  by  a  narrow  grass 
verge  as  in  some  gardens,  but  by  lawns  of  a  sufficient 


PLAXTIXG  AN  ARBORETUM.  325 

breadth  to  allow  the  distinctive  characters  of  the 
groups  to  be  perceptible.  The  distance  or  proximity  of 
the  groups  —  in  other  words,  the  breadths  of  the 
lawns  —  are  to  be  regulated  according  to  the  closer  or 
more  remote  characters  of  the  prevailing  affinities. 

It  is  only  in  the  botanic  garden,  in  the  public  park, 
or  in  private  grounds  where  botanical  characters  are 
in  high  consideration,  that  an  arboretum,  in  its  full 
extent,  can  be  an-anged  on  strictly  scientific  principles. 
Even  in  these  the  system  can  be  carried  out  v.-ith  rigid 
precision  only  at  the  expense  of  some  baldness,  and 
with  no  small  allowance  of  the  dotting  nuisance.  For 
the  sake  of  public  instruction,  or  for  other  purposes,  a 
very  complete  collection  maybe  desirable  —  the  larger 
the  better,  we  would  say  ;  but  as  no  eye  can  possibly 
command  2500  trees  and  shrubs  at  once,  we  should 
be  disposed  to  recommend  the  free  use  of  those  tall 
and  conspicuous  genera  and  species  which  are  natu- 
rally fitted  to  harmonize  the  more  discordant  elements 
of  the  scenery.  It  must  be  remembered  that  in  every 
collection  of  trees  there  are  a  variety  of  considerations 
which  must  be  taken  into  account,  particularly  in  con- 
nection with  private  residences.  There  is  the  interest 
arising  from  the  rarity  of  the  species  and  the  com- 
pleteness of  the  assemblage  —  qualities  that  will  have 
preponderating  weight  where  botanical  partialities  are 
strong.  There  is  the  satisfaction  derived  from  contem- 
plating the  beauty  and  magnitude  of  pai-ticular  speci- 
mens of  trees;  and  that  ^s'iU  be  chiefly  affected  by  the 
lovers  of  arboriculture  in  itself.  And  tlio  student  of 
the  picturesque  will  be  atti-acted  by  tlie  peculiar  phys- 
iognomy of  uncommon  plants  and  by  the  scenic  effect 
of  the  whole.    Some  of  these  features  of  an  arboretum, 


326  PARKS    AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

as  separable  from  its  strictly  scientific  character,  we 
shall  endeavor  to  review  in  the  following  section. 

Note. — The  planter  of  an  arboretum  must  bear  in 
mind  that  none  but  plants  suited  to  the  soil,  as  well  as 
climate,  will  give  him  satisfaction  in  their  growth  and 
development.  The  qualities  of  moisture,  and  dryness, 
to  which  they  are  partial,  should  also  be  studied ;  for 
while  many  varieties  will  bear  a  wide  range  of  either, 
others  can  only  be  successfully  propagated  in  such  soils 
as  correspond  to  their  native  localities. — Ed. 


Sect.  II. — ^Decorative  Treatment  of  an^  Arboretum. 

In  this  part  of  our  subject,  we  return  to  the  princi- 
pal object  of  our  little  work,  viz:  the  adornment  of 
country  residences.  It  is  to  be  presumed,  that  there 
are  few  who  are  willing  to  contemplate  a  living  col- 
lection of  trees  and  shrubs  without  experiencing  tlie 
pleasurable  emotions  which  their  elegance  of  form  and 
beauty  of  tint  are  fitted  to  inspire.  In  such  as  would 
dispense  with  these  enjoyments,  the  scientific  instinct 
must  be  very  strong  indeed.  We  trust  that  the  vast 
majority  of  pur  readers  would  rejoice  to  find  a  new 
source  of  pleasure  in  an  ornamental  assemblage  of 
plants.  "We  come,  then,  to  consider  how,  in  the  con- 
struction of  an  arboretum,  the  botanic  interest  may  be 
modified,  and  its  scientific  rigor  softened,  while  its 
exactness  may  not  be  seriously  impaired. 

In  the  arrangement  of  the  arboretum,  there  are  cer- 
tain orders  and  alliances  which  include  the  trees  of 
largest  growth ;  these  claim  special  attention  for  the 
selection  of  their  position,  as  they  not  only  require  a 


DECORATIVE  TREATMENT  OF  AN  ARBORETUM.  327 

liberal  allowance  of  space,  but  also  become  the  princi 
])al  objects  on  account  of  their  breadth  and  altitude 
Tliey  are  mostly  to  be  found  in  Alliances  3,  4,  7,  12 
13,  22,  24,  2G.  In  distributing  them  on  the  ground 
their  groups,  of  whatever  rank  they  may  be — i.  e 
whether  generic^  ordinal^  or  allied — should  be  so 
managed  as  not  only  to  be  in  requisite  union  with  the 
cognate  families  of  humbler  growth,  but  also  to  be- 
come the  leading  and  most  conspicuous  features  of 
the  scene.  Where  this  expedient  is  properly  employed, 
it  will  add  much  variety  to  the  whole,  and  will  pro- 
duce a  greatly  superior  effect  to  that  attained  by  a 
mere  botanical  succession,  or  by  the  intermingling  of 
many  genera  in  the  same  group,  or  where  the  place 
assigned  to  each  plant  is  determined  by  its  stature,  and 
not  by' its  generic  character.  Though  we  disapprove 
of  the  intermingling  of  genera  with  each  other,  we 
hold  that  many  of  tliem  may  be  put  in  juxtaposition. 
There  are  even  certain  alliances  in  whicli  the  numbers 
of  genera  and  sj)ecies  are  so  limited  that  they  may 
very  properly  form  combined  groups,  as  in  the  follow- 
ing associated  pairs:  8-9, 10-11, 19-20,  27-28,  29-30. 
Between  the  different  groups  of  trees  and  shrubs, 
lawns  of  varying  breadth  should  be  interposed ;  the 
broader  lawns  being  partly  occupied  witli  clumps  of 
low-growing  trees  and  shrubs,  and  the  narrower  glades 
being  left  entirely  open.  The  distance  at  which  the 
trees  and  shrubs  should  be  planted  in  their  respective 
groups  must  depend  on  tlie  magnitude  M'hich  the  indi- 
vidual species  acquire  in  this  country.  Wliile  there 
should  be  space  for  a  pretty  full  development  of  each, 
they  should,  generally  speaking,  not  be  placed  at  sucli 
distances  apart  as  to  prevent  various  members  of  the 


328  PARKS   AND   TLEASFEE  GROUNDS. 

group  from  coming  into  contact  with  each  other,  when 
they  have  attained  a  considerable  size.  At  the  same 
time,  the  finer  and  more  graceful  forms  should  be  so 
stationed  as  to  appear  to  the  greatest  advantage ;  and 
to  those  that  are  less  important  may  be  assigned  in- 
ferior places.  The  margins  of  the  large  groups  may 
be  feathered  by  smaller  ones,  or  by  single  trees  and 
shrubs  ;  but  this  must  be  done  so  irregularly,  and  with 
such  a  leaning  forward  in  the  major  mass,  or  with  such 
other  relation  between  it  and  the  single  trees,  as  to 
obviate  the  effect  of  dotting,  which,  as  the  besetting 
sin  of  arboretums,  ought  to  be  carefully  guarded 
against. 

On  ground  with  a  flat  surface,  and  soil  of  a  uniform 
quality,  a  combined  botanical  and  pictorial  grouping 
of  the  whole  collection  will  be  the  ])rincipal  object  of 
study.  Certain  shrubs  will  require  special  soils,  such 
as  peat  and  sand,  and  these  should  be  formed  for  them. 
Where  there  is  a  considerable  diversity  of  surfaces 
and  soils,  attention  ought  to  be  directed  not  only  to 
the  grouping  on  the  principles  already  indicated,  but 
also  to  the  effect  of  the  proposed  distribution  in  rela- 
tion to  the  surface  which  is  to  be  covered,  and  to  the 
s.oils  on  which  the  plants  are  to  grow.  We  must  con- 
sider w4iat  group  will  appear  to  most  advantage  on  a 
given  hill,  or  knoll,  or  slope,  or  hollow,  and  whether 
also  the  soils  of  these  may  not  be  more  suitable  for 
one  order  or  family  than  for  another.  A  fine  hollow 
with  moist  soil  might  seem,  at  first  sight,  to  promise  a 
propitious  site  for  willows,  alders,  and  poplars ;  and 
yet,  on  examination,  it  may  be  found  tliat  such. locality 
may  be  better  adapted,  both  in  reference  to  beauty 
and  luxuriance  of  growth,  for  the  hardier  sorts  of  what 


DISCKTMINATIVE   TREATMENT   OF   SURFACES.        329 

are  usually  called  American  shrubs.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  may  be  ascertained,  with  some  degree  of  cer- 
tainty, that  the  low,  damp  space  referred  to  would 
prove  injurious  to  the  more  tender  pines,  cistus,  mag- 
nolias, and  arbutus.  The  diversities  of  climate  arising 
from  differences  in  exposure  and  evaporation,  even 
within  the  limited  space  of  a  dozen  acres,  is  often  very 
considerable.  We  are  aware,  that  to  attend  properly 
to  these  and  similar  considerations  is  no  easy  matter; 
but  they  do  not  on  that  account  lose  their  importance, 
and  they  should,  if  possible,  receive  the  attention 
which  is  due  to  them. 

In  an  arboretum  arranged  on  strictly  botanical  prin- 
ciples, there  is  an  invariable  deficiency  of  the  effect 
produced  by  evergreen  trees,  as  these  valuable  mejins 
of  decoration  are  mostly  confined  to  Orders  3  and  4, 
viz:  ConifercB  2in(\.  TamicecB^  and  in  the  method  pro- 
posed they  are  all  placed  in  one  locality.  To  counter- 
act or  contrast  with  the  bare  and  inipoverisiied  aspect, 
during  winter,  of  the  deciduous  tribes  which  pervade 
the  arboretum,  we  would  recommend  the  severance 
of  these  evergreen  orders  into  generic,  or  even  sub- 
generic  groups,  which,  if  properly  distributed  and 
connected,  would  tend  to  relieve  the  effect  adverted 
to,  without  their  losing,  to  any  considerable  extent, 
their  rightful  position  in  their  own  orders.  But  even 
if  their  ordinary  continuity  were  to  suffer  interruption, 
it  were  better  that  it  should  be  so,  than  that  they 
should  all  be  confined  to  one  place.  We  also  recom- 
mend the  employment  of  the  ordinary  evergreen  shrubs 
as  promiscuous  underwood,  in  many  of  the  tall  decidu- 
ous groups ;  this  will  not  materially  afiect  their  scien- 
tific character,  while  it  imparts  to  the  whole  grouping 


330  PARKS   AND    PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

a  more  clothed  character,  and  improves  the  general 
effect  of  the  ornamental  scenery. 

Hitherto  we  have  been  adverting  to  an  arboretnm 
formally  constructed  as  such,  and  of  considerable  ex- 
tent ;  we  niay  now  view  it  as  an  appendage  to  the  park 
and  pleasure-grounds  of  a  country  residence.  In  such 
a  case,  its  site  should  be  chiefly  in  the  pleasure-grounds, 
where  it  can  be  mingled  with,  or  made  to  form  a  part 
of  the  dressed  grounds.  Such  a  position  is  generally 
advantageous,  as  the  walks  and  keeping  of  the  envi- 
rons afford  great  facilities  for  the  culture  and  the  dis- 
play of  trees  and  shrubs.  We  would,  however,  by 
no  means  recommend  the  occupation  of  the  whole 
grounds  with  a  botanical  arboretum.  A  place  of  this 
description  would  present  numerous  groups  of  a  scien- 
tific character;  bnt  the  incessant  variation  of  the  forms 
and  foliage  of  the  trees  and  shrubs  would  certainly 
diminish  greatly,  if  it  did  not  altogetlier  destroy,  the 
liarmonious  repose  produced  by  considerable  masses 
of  the  same  kind  of  tree.  Groups  composed  of  single 
specimens  of  the  different  species  of  oaks,  (Quercus,) 
elms,  (Ulmiis^)  planes,  (Acei\)  etc.,  would  be  utterly 
deficient  in  that  graceful  and  impressive  dignity  which 
is  exhibited  by  large  groups  and  masses  of  the  English 
oak  and  other  common  species  of  the  above  montio;!ed 
genera.  We  do  not  deny  that  there  are  other  species 
of  these  genera  but  little  known,  whicli  would  be  as 
effective  were  they  treated  in  the  same  way ;  but  we 
mean  that  in  ornamental  planting  there  must  be  some 
breadth  of  the  same  boughs  and  foliage  before  any 
pleasure  can  be  conveyed  to  the  mind  apart  from  the 
interest  created  by  variety. 

In  making  part  of  the  pleasure-grounds  the  basis  of 


AKBORETTJMS    IN    PRIVATE    RESIDENCES.  331 

the  arboretum,  we  would  form  the  hirge  groups  or 
masses  of  a  magnitude  proportioned  to  the  extent  of 
the  place,  and  we  would  plant  them  with  the  finest 
trees,  whether  old  or  now,  to  constitute  the  leading 
features  of  the  scene.  Taking  these  as  the  ground- 
work, we  would  relieve  or  set  them  off  by  single  trees 
of  the  species  belonging  to  the  same  genera,  throwing 
groups  of  a  similar  composition  into  the  adjacent  places 
of  the  i^ark ;  or,  using  the  same  groundwork  as  before, 
we  would  introduce  generic^  m^dinal^  or  allied  groups 
of  selected  species  into  such  positions  as  would  con- 
tribute to  the  variety  and  beauty  of  the  whole.  We 
strongly  recommend  the  selection  of  materials  to  pro- 
prietors forming  arboretums  in  the  vicinity  of  private 
residences.  There  are  some  hundreds  of  trees  and 
shrubs  which  may  safely  be  left  to  the  botanic  garden 
and  public  park.  Probably  there  are  few  genera  which 
deserve  to  be  taken  in  the  whole.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  are  many  fine  trees  and  shrubs  but  little  planted, 
which,  with  judicious-  treatment,  might  tend  to  remove 
the  reproach  of  "  the  shrubberj^'s  insipid  scenes." 
Much  remains  to  be  done  in  this  way ;  and  it  is  not  to 
be  doubted,  that  a  moderate-sized  but  well-selected 
arboretum  is  the  most  effectual  means  of  doing  it.  It 
may  be  added,  that,  though  the  pleasure-ground  affords 
the  most  desirable  site  for  the  arboretum,  there  are 
many  parks  in  which  it  may  be  planted  in  the  \YOods, 
especially  where  there  are  walks,  or  where  they  can 
easily  be  formed.  On  the  outskirts  of  the  woods,  or 
along  the  sides  of  open  rides  penetrating  into  their 
interior,  a  pretty  full  arboretum  might  be  formed,  com- 
posed of  trees  and  of  the  stronger  and  less  ornamen- 
tal shrubs,  reserving  the  more  showy  or  less  hardy 


332  PAKKS   AND   TLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

species  of  botli  for  the  decoration  of  the  dressed  grounds 
An  arboretum  in  the  woods  might  exhibit  more  of  the 
linear  arrangement  than  is  admissible  in  any  other 
situation;  and  the  irritative  variety,  which  is  felt  to 
be  so  offensive  in  the  pleasure-ground,  would  be  soft- 
ened, if  not  wholly  sunk  in  the  j^onderous  masses  of 
the  surrounding  trees. 

Note. — To  such  as  possess  the  opportunity,  with  suf- 
ficient means,  taste,  and  leisure  to  get  up  an  arboretum 
in  the  proper  way,  it  will  be  a  most  delightful  occupa- 
tion. We  know  of  no  complete  thing  of  the  kind  yet 
attempted  in  the  United  States.  An  arboretum  should 
be  adopted  at  some  appropriate  spot  attached  to  an 
institution  of  learning  or  science  in  every  one  of  our 
states ;  and  as  we  progress  in  science,  art,  and  refine- 
ment, arboretiims  will  probably  be  attempted  by  state 
or  corporate  authority.  A  single  life  is  too  short  to 
produce  mature  eifect  in  a  work  of  such  magnitude, 
and  they  should  hardly  be  attempted,  except  under 
the  perpetuated  existence  of  an  institution,  either  state 
or  corporate,  where  the  full  effect  sought  by  such  a 
work  may  be  accomplished.— ^Ed. 


THE   PINETCil.  333 


CHAPTER   XIV 


THE  PINETUM. 


RemarJis  on  Special  Collections  of  Trees  —  The  Pinetum  —  ilaterials 
and  Arrangement — Enumeration  of  Species,  with  ObseiTations  on 
the  Groups  — Effects  of  Climate  —  Soil  —  Early  Cultivation  of  the 
Plantg  —  Planting  of  the  Pinetum  — Pruning  of  the  Trees  — Deco- 
rative Treatment  of  the  Pinetum. 

Many  persons,  whose  limited  domains  do  not  per- 
mit, or  whose  scientific  zeal  does  not  incite  them  to 
plant  an  arboretum,  may  yet  be  induced  to  form  ex- 
tensive collections  of  a  few  particular  genera.  A 
botanist,  for  example,  may  begin  by  cultivating  a  few 
willows,  in  order  to  study  their  characters  at  his  leis- 
ure, and  he  may  add  to  his  stock  till  it  swells  out  to  a 
magnitude  approaching  that  magnificent  Salicetum 
existing  at  Woburn  Abbey.  So  a  lover  of  wild  roses 
may  extend  his  attention  and  predilection  to  the  whole 
of  the  species  and  numerous  varieties  of  that  beautiful 
family;  and  such  has  been  the  origin  of  many  fine 
rosaries.  We  should  like  to  see  this  method  of  special 
culture  more  frequently  exemplified.  We  have  ob- 
served a  long  walk  in  a  pleasure-ground,  skirted  by  a 
row  of  oaks,  exhibiting  many  divei-sified  seminal  vari- 
eties, if  not  distinct  species,  and  the  thought  occurred 
that  it  would  be  a  fine  thing  to  have  a  broad  ride  bor- 
dered with  oaks  in  the  sunny  expanse  of  a  wide  park, 


334         "  PAKKS   AND   PLEASURE-GROtrNDS. 

or  in  the  open  glades  of  a  sheltered  forest.  We  are 
assured  that  a  qnercetum,  an  aceretum,  and  various 
other  analogous  collections,  might  be  formed,  possess- 
ing great  value  in  themselves,  and  imparting  a  decided 
character  to  a  place  which,  from  its  limited  extent,  or 
other  circumstances,  might  be  naturally  uninteresting. 

The  pinetum  is  unquestionably  the  most  important 
of  all  the  special  collections  of  trees,  whether  as  a 
member  of  a  general  arboretum  or  as  planted  by  itself; 
and  accordingly  it  is  deservedly  receiving  increasing 
attention  throughout  the  country.  From  the  low  banks 
of  the  Thames  to  the  subalpine  slopes  of  the  Gram- 
pians, it  is  year  after  year  more  frequently  planted. 
This  very  interesting  collection  of  trees  is  composed 
of  the  natural  families  of  pine,  cypress,  yew,  and  other 
kindred  races,  or  what,  in  popular,  though  not  very 
accurate  language,  are  called  Conifers.  At  present, 
there  are  in  cultivation  about  twenty  hardy  genera, 
and  nearly  two  hundred  and  eighty  distinct  species 
and  varieties,  which,  with  the  exception  of  about  fif- 
teen, are  evergreen.  From  a  fourth  to  a  third  of  the 
whole  may  be  considered  sub-hardy  in  many  localities. 
A  number  of  them  are  shrubs ;  but  the  most  are  tall 
trees,  even  in  this  country,  and  in  their  native  habitats 
some  attain  a  prodigious  altitude.  Deducting  the  low 
and  bushy  sorts,  there  still  remain  a  sufficient  number, 
when  one  of  a  species  or  variety  in  the  extensive  gen- 
era, and  one  or  two  in  the  smaller  are  employed,  esj^e- 
cially  if  well  arranged  in  generic  and  subdivisional 
order,  to  furnish  an  evergreen  arboretum  of  several 
acres,  room  being  allowed  for  the  full  development  of 
the  trees. 

In  order  to  render  our  observations  intelligible,  as 


EKDLICHEe's  ARRANGEireXX.  335 

well  as  to  have  an  opportunity  of  conveying  useful 
information,  we  deem  it  needful  to  give  an  enumera- 
tion of  the  species  which  have  been  ascertained,  or 
may  be  expected  to  live  and  thrive  in  our  climate. 
"We  adopt  the  scientific  arrangement  and  nomenclature 
of  Endlicher,  as  best  suited  to  our  present  purpose.* 
To  the  several  groups  and  subdivisions  we  sliall  append 
brief  remarks  on  their  respective  characters,  or  on 
other  matters  connected  with  them  worthy  of  notice. 
At  tlie  end  of  the  chapter,  we  shall  offer  some  general 
observations  on  the  influence  of  soil  and  climate  in 
relation  to  these  trees,  and  on  the  pictorial  arrange- 
ment of  the  Pinetum  as  a  whole.  The  reader  is  re- 
quested to  remember  that  when  no  indication  is  given 
the  species  is  known  to  be  hardy  ;  that  lif  denotes  that 
this  character  is  doubtful ;  s  h  means  sub-hardy ;  and 
that  the  figures  attached  to  the  right  of  the  specific 
names  mark  the  average  or  probable  height  in  feet. 
An  asterisk  is  prefixed  to  a  few  species  not  yet  intro- 
duced into  this  country. 

*  It  will  be  observed  that  the  arrangement  of  Endlicher,  taken  from  his  "  Synopsis 
Coniferarum,"  and  corresponding  to  the  class  and  alliance  Gymnogtn$  of  Lindley, 
differs  in  the  order  of  sc<iuence  from  that  given  from  "The  Vegetable  Kingdom,"  in 
our  Synopsis  of  Orders  in  the  chapter  on  The  Arboretum.  AVe  do  not  profess  to 
adjudicate  on  their  respective  scientific  merits.  Perhaps  the  latter  is  better  adapted 
to  express  the  external  relations  of  the  Order  in  a  general  system.  In  a  detached 
Pmetum,  we  should  prefer  Endlicher's  subdivisions.  The  reader  may  adopt  either, 
as  it  Baits  lus  convenience. 

Much  valuable  and  interesting  information,  regarding  pines  and  the  kindred  genera, 
may  be  found  in  Messrs.  Lawson  and  Son's  "List  of  Plants  of  the  Fir  Tribe,"  and  in 
Messrs.  Knight  and  Perry's  "Synopsis  of  the  Coniferous  Plants  grown  in  Great 
Britain." 


336 


PARKS   AND   PLEASUKE-GROtJNDS. 


SYNOPSIS 

OF  THE  ARRANGEMENT  OF  THE  PINETUM. 


SUBORDERS. 


Jumpering Juniperus. . 


GROVPS. 

Caryocedrua, 

Oxycednis. 

Sabina. 


ACTINOSTEOBE^ 


CUPRESSINE^  <  THmoPsiDE-E 


Callitiis. 
Libocedrus. 
Biota. 
Thuia. 
Thuiopsis. 
^  Fitzroya. 
CcPREssiNK^       C  Cupressus. 

VER^ \  Chamsecyparis. 

/  Taxodium. 

I^Taxodine^ ■?  Glyptostrobus. 

(  Cryptomeria. 

fTsuga. 

Abies. 
Picea. 
Larix. 
Cedrus. 

Abietine^  VER.E     Pinus <^  Cembra. 

Strobus. 


ABIETINE^-.    I 


Pseudo-Strobus. 
Tccda. 
Pinaster. 
L  Pinca. 


Araucarie^ Araucaria. 

c  Oumiingharaia. 

CCNNINGHAMIE.E    <  o 

I  Sequoia. 


f  Podocarpus. 

PODOCARPE.E )  Miciocachrys. 

'  Saxe-Gotbea. 

{Salisburia. 
Cephalotaxus. 
Torreya. 
Taxus. 


TAXINEiE 


LIST   OF   PINES. 


837 


Oeder  I.    CUPEESSINE^. 

SuBOEDEE  I.  JUNIPERLVJE. 
Gen.  1.  JUNIPERUS. 

JuxiPERUS.  —  Group  1.  Caryocedrus. 
1.  J.  dupracea,  bu^h. 


■  Group  2.    Oxyccdrus. 

9.  J.  communis,  4-20  l"t. 

10.  J.  vulgaris,  hush. 

11.  J Hispanica,  10-15  ft. 

12.  J. Caucasica,  husk. 

13.  J. arborcscens,  10-18  ft 

*r4.  J.  rigicla. 

*15.  J.  taxifolia. 


JUNIPKRCS. 

2.  J.  macrocarpa,  10-12  ft. 

3.  J.  Oxycednis,  10-12  ft 

4.  J.  rufescens,  hush. 

5.  J. brevifolia. 

6.  J.  hemisphjerica,  1-3  ft. 

7.  J.  nana,  3-5  ft. 

8.  J. alpina. 

In  this  group,  none  of  the  sorts  reach  the  habit  of  trees.    The  foliage 

ot  2,  7, 13,  is  of  a  light  green,  with  a  glaucous  hue  ;  10  and  11  are  of  a 
deep  green.  Those  of  an  erect  form,  2,  3,  11,  12,  13,  group  well  with 
spreading  shrubs,  12  has  fine  drooping  branchlots  ;  the  others  arc  euit- 
able  for  rockworks  or  for  covering  bare  sandy  knolls. 


JUNIPERUS. 

—  Group  3.   Sahina. 

16. 

J.  prostrata. 

31.  J.  occidentalis,  hf  15-30  ft 

17. 

J.  recurva,  shnth. 

32.  J.  Virginiana,  20-30  ft. 

18. 

J.  squamata,  3-6  ft. 

19. 

J.  Davurica,  tree. 

34.  J. variegata. 

20. 

J.  Chinensis,  20-30  ft. 

35.  J. glauca,  k? 

21. 

J.  Pseudo-Sabina,  bud 

I. 

36.  J. argentea. 

22. 

J.  Sabina,  3-4  ft. 

37.  J. pendula. 

23. 

J. hum  ills. 

38.  J.  Mexicana,  h?  tree. 

24. 

J. variegata. 

39.  J.  flaccidij,  hf  tree. 

25. 

J.  sabinoides,  hish. 

40.  J.  Bermudianvi,  h?  tree. 

2G. 

J.  oophora,  s  h,  bush. 

41.  J.  tetragona,  A.S'sArKi. 

27. 

J.  foetidissima,  tree. 

42.  J.  Phoenicea,  sclerocarpa. 

28. 

J.  excelsa,  tree. 

43.  J. m.ilacocarpa. 

29. 

J. nana. 

44.  J.  sphrerica,  tree. 

30. 

J.  procera,  tree. 

Position  Doubtful. 

45. 

J.  Gossinthanca,  /t.? 

46.  J.  Japonica. 

Doubtful  Species. 

47. 

J.  gracilis. 

48.  J.  cernua. 

15 


3S8  PAEKS   AND   PLEASTJKE-GKOUNDS. 

49.  J.  dimorpha.  ,  53.  J.  raceraosa. 

50.  J.  aquatica.  54  J.  prostrata. 

51.  J.  glauca.  55.  J.  religiosa. 

52.  J.  Cedro. 

The  size  and  forms  of  the  species  of  this  group  are  very  varied  ;  27, 
28,  and  31  are  pyramidal ;  20  and  26  are  oblongated,  as  is  also  32  when 
young;  17  and  37  are  fine  shrubs  with  erect  branches  and  pendulous 
branchlets  ;  2G  and  44  are  erect,  with  loose  spreading  branches  ;  42  is 
pyramidal,  with  slender  weeping  branches;  16,  23.  24  are  prostrate 
shrubs.  The  foliage  of  21,  36,  39  is  of  a  light  silvery  green  ;  28,  34,  of 
a  glaucous  green  ;  22  and  32,  of  a  somber  green,  and  the  latter  with  a 
glaucous  tint ;  18,  25,  27,  32,  41,  are  of  a  dark  green  color.  J.  ■procera 
(30)  is  a  large  useful  timber  tree  in  Abyssinia. 

SuBORDEii  II.   ACTINOSTROBEJE. 

Gen.  1.   CALLITRIS. 
1.  C.  Quadrivalvis,  h?  tree. 

Gen.  2.  LIBOGEDRUS. 

1.  L.  Doniana,  li?  30-70  ft.  3.  L.  Chilensis. 

2.  L.  tetragona. 

Callitris  is  a  large  tree  from  Mount  Atlas,  with  horizontal  branches, 
and  shining  green  leaves.  Libocedrus  2  and  3  are  from  the  Andes  of 
Southern  Chili  and  Patagonia,  where,  it  is  said,  they  rival  Araucaria 
imhricata,  and  are  both  very  fine  trees ;  3  has  a  pyramidal  head  resem- 
bling the  upiight  cypress,  with  drooping  branchlets  and  vivid  green 
foliage. 

SUBORDEE  III.  JHUIOPSIDEJE. 

Gen.  1.  BIOTA. 

1.  B.  orientalis,  10-15  ft.  6.  B.  orientalis  pyramidalis. 

2.  B. expansa.  7.  B.  Tartarica,  tree. 

3.  B. glauca.  8.  B.  stricta,  tree. 

4.  B. Xcpalensis.  9.  B.  pendula,  hish. 

5.  B. Sieboldii. 

Tlie  species  of  Biota,  or  Chinese  Arbor-vita,  form  handsome  erect 
shrubs,  of  a  compact  liabit  and  of  rather  slow  growth.  B. pendula  (9) 
is  an  elegant  bush  or  small  tree,  with  slender  branches  and  thread-like 
drooping  branchlets.  The  foliage  of  1  is  bright  green  when  young,  ac- 
quiring at  length  a  dark  somber  color  ;  3  has  a  light  glaucous  hue,  and 
9  a  light  green. 


LIST   OF   PINES.  339 

Gen.  2.  THUIA. 

1.  T.  occideutalis,  20-30  ft.  3.  T.  gigantea,  A?  GO-TO  ft 

2.  T.  plirata,  tree. 

These  species,  popularly  called  Arlor-vitw,  arc  of  more  rapid  growth 
than  tliose  of  the  previous  genus ;  1  is  of  au  elongated  pyramidal  form 
when  young,  becoming  afterward  more  spreading  and  irregular,  and  is 
of  a  light  tawny  green  ;  3  is  a  handsome  tree,  with  spreading  branches. 

Gen.  3.   THUIOPSIS. 
1.  T.  dolobrata,  h?  2.  T.  flagclliformis,  h? 

These  are  handsome  trees,  resembling  the  Arhor'vita;  but  of  doubtful 
hardiness. 

Gen.  4.  FITZROYA. 
1.  F.  Patagonica,  100  ft. 

A  beautiful  evergreen  tree  recently  introduced  trom  Patagonia, -with 
drooping  branches  and  shining  green  leaves ;  it  resembles  Libocedrus 
tetragona  when  old. 

SucoEDEU  IV.    CUPRESSINEM  VERJE. 

Gen.  1.   CUPRESSUS. 

1.  C.  horizontalis,  30-40  ft.  7.  C.  thurifera,  tree. 

*J.  C.  sempervirens,  30-40  ft  8.  C.  fuuebris,  GO  ft. 

3.  C.  torulosa,  GO-lOO  ft  9.  C.  Uhdeana,  tree. 

4.  C. elegans.  10.  C.  Goveniana,  10  ft 

5.  C. viridis.  1 1.  C.  macrocarpa,  60  ft 

6.  C. glauca  A.?  10-30  ft  12.  C.  Lindleyi,  tree. 

This  is  a  beautiful  genus,  of  which  most  of  the  species  have  an  erect 
habit,  with  horizontal  branches ;  2  has  upright  branches,  and  is  the 
well-known  ornament  of  cemeteries  on  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean; 
6  is  the  cedar  of  Goa,  a  spreading  tree  with  pendulous  branches ;  8  has 
been  already  described,  p.  148;  11  has  tabulated  branches,  like  the  Cedar 
of  Lebanon.  The  fohage  of  1  and  2  is  of  a  somber,  3,  G,  8  of  a  glaucou.s, 
and  10  and  11  of  a  vivid  green.  C.  macrocarpa  is  a  good  timber  tree, 
and  thrives  well  in  poor  soils  and  exposed  positions  in  England. 

Gen.  2.  CHAM^CYPARIS, 

1.  C.  sphoeroidea,  tree.  6.    C.  ericoide.s,  h?  buxh. 

2.  C. atrovirens.  7.   C.  Nutkaensis,  tree. 

3.  C. glauca.  8.   C.  thurifera,  tree. 

4.  C. follis  variegatis.  »9.   C.  obtusa,  CO-80  ft 

5,^  C.  squaiTOsa,  h?  bush.  "lO.    C.  pisifera,  tree. 


34:0  PARKS   AND   PLEASUKE-GKOUNDS. 

Some  plants  of  1,  the  white  cedar,  have  a  compact,  and  others  a 
spreading  liabit ;  3  has  gracefully  curved  branches,  with  numerous 
spreading  branchlets.  C.  tkurifera  is  a  spreading  tree.  The  foliage  of  2 
is  of  a  deep  green  ;  and  that  of  3  and  5  of  a  glaucous  green. 

Suborder  V.    TAXODINEM. 
Gen.  1.   TAXODIUM. 

1.  T.  distichum,  50-100  ft.  3.   T.  microphyllum,  h? 

2.  T.  adscendens,  h?  tree.  4.   T.  Hugelii,  h^  tree. 

Tliis  is  a  deciduous  family,  with  beautiful  light  green  foliage.  T.  dis- 
tichum, the  well  known  deciduous  Cypress,  is  of  a  slender  pyramidal 
form,  growing  to  a  large  size  in  England,  as  at  Sion  House  ;  but  which, 
though  hardy  in  most  places  in  Scotland,  scarcely  ever  grows  above  12 
or  15  feet  high.     The  other  species  are  not  more  robust. 

Gen.  2.   GLYPTOSTROBUS. 
T.   G.  heterophyllus,  small  tree.  2.   G.  pendula,  h?  bush. 

This  is  a  new  genus  established  by  Endlicher.  The  species  are  shnibs 
or  low  trees,  not  yet  much  known. 

Gen.  3.   CRYPTOMERIA. 
1.   C.  Japonica,  h?  60-100  ft.  2.    C.  nana,  A.?  bush. 

The  first  species  becomes  a  large  tree  in  China  ;  but  it  is  still  doubtful 
whether  it  will  be  more  than  a  bush  in  this  country.  It  succeeds  best 
in  a  mild,  moist  climate. 

Okder  II.    ABIETINEiE. 

Suborder  I.    ABIETINEJE    VERJE. 

Gen.  1.    PINUS. 

Pixus. —  Group  I.    Tsuga. 

(Cones  drooping.     Leaves  solitary  and  flat) 

*1.   P.  Tsuga,  25-30  ft.  4.   P.  Douglasii,  150-200  ff 

2.  P.  Brunoniaiia,  h?  70-80  ft.  5.    P. :  taxifolia. 

3.  P.  Canadensis,  20-50  ft. 

Species  1  has  not  yet  been  introduced ;  2  and  3  are  broad  bushy  trees, 
the  latter,  from  its  slow  growth,  is  well  adapted  for  the  shrubbery ;  4  is 
of  a  pyramidal  form,  of  prodigious  size,  and  of  unusually  rapid  growth. 
The  foliage  of  2  is  glaucous,  of  3  a  dark,  and  of  4  a  vivid  green. 


SYNOPSIS    OF    PINES.  341 

PiNUS.  —  Groups.   Abies,  ^nd\.;  Picea,  Loud.; — Silver  Firs. 
(CoDes  axillary  and  upright.     Leaves  solitary,  flat,  silvery  beneath.) 

6.  P.  bracteata,  120  ft  *19.  P.  firnia,  tree. 

7.  P.  nobUis,  large  tree.  *20.  P.  homolepis,  20-30  ft. 

8.  P.  Fraseri,  10-20  ft  *2l.  P.  bifida. 

9.  P. nana.  *22.  P.  coucolor. 

10.  P.  religiosa,  «  k.  23.   P.  balsamca,  40-50  ft. 

11.  P.  Nordinanniana,  80  ft  24.   P.  amabilis,  150-200  ft 

12.  P.  Abies  du  Roi,  50-100  ft  25.   P.  grandis,  170-200  ft 

Ficea,  Linn.  Silver  Fir.  26.  P.  lasiocarpa. 

13.  P. peudula.  27.  P.  Pindrow,  80-100  ft 

14.  P. tortuosa.  28.  P.  Webbiana,  li?  80-100  ft 

15.  P. pyramidalis.  29.  P.  Picbta,  60-70  ft 

16.  P. foUis  variegatis.  30.  P.  Pinsapo,  GO-70  ft 

•17.   P. leioclada.  'SI.  P.  Mertensiana. 

18.   P.  Cephalouica,  60  ft 

This  is  perhaps  the  riiost  remarkable  section  in  the  family  of  Pines,  in 
respect  to  both  the  size  and  beauty  of  the  trees.  Their  forms  are  gene- 
rally pyramidal,  or  of  the  spiiy  cone.  P.  Abies,  or  Silver  Fir,  is  a  trun- 
cated pyramid,  and  vre  believe  that  many  of  the  others  will  approach 
that  form  when  they  have  grown  long  enough  among  us  to  attain  to 
their  maturity.  P.  Pindrow  and  Webbiana,  from  the  Himalayas, 
assume  a  colunmar  shape.  P.  Cephalonica,  if  not  a  broad-headed  tree, 
has  such  long  horizontal  branches  as  to  produce  a  very  broad  cone  :  tho 
same  remark  f.pplics  to  P.  Pinsapo.  The  form  and  disposition  of  the 
branches  impart  the  characteristic  features  of  this  group.  In  7  and  29 
they  are  flat  and  tabulated ;  ;:;  18  and  30  they  are  rigid,  liorizontal,  and 
verticillate,  giving  a  very  symmetrical  habit  to  the  trees  ;  in  27  and  29 
they  are  close,  spreading  m  whoris,  with  drooping  branchlets.  The 
foliage  in  7,  18,  and  30  is  closely  set :  in  7,  8,  12,  13,  14,  15,  23,  and  27 
it  is  of  a  dark  green  ;  in  29  of  a  vivid  green  ;  in  18  and  30  of  a  lighter 
vivid  green  ;  in  11  of  a  light  pale  green  ;  and  in  25  of  a  silvery  green. 
The  branchlets  of  some  sorts  such  as  nobilis,  Cephalonica,  and  Webbi- 
ana, are  liable  to  be  injured  by  spring  frosts  when  the  trees  are  young  ; 
but  if  planted  in  shady  places  or  in  late  situations  they  seldom  receive 
injury.  The  limber  of  the  silver  firs  is  generally  of  inferior  quahty.  P. 
Cephalonica  produces  hartl  and  durable  timber.  Though  many  of  thia 
group  will  thrive  tulera))ly  on  poor  ground,  they  attain  much  greater 
perfection  in  soils  of  good  quality.  P.  Webbiana  thrives  in  poor  clay 
soils. 


34:2  PARKS   AND   PLEASrRE-GEOUNDS. 

Pxxcs.  —  Group  3.    Picea,  Endl.;  Abies,  Loud.; — Spruces. 
(Cones  drooping,  termiDal.    Leaves  solitary  and  tetragonal.) 

32.  P.  Menziesii,  tree-  4G.  V.  Picea  foliis  variegatis. 

33.  P.  alba,  50  ft  47.  P. Lemoniana. 

34.  P. nana.  48.  P. monstvosa. 

35.  P.  rubra,  30  ft  49.  P. viminalis. 

36.  P. violacea,  50.  P. Carpatica. 

37.  P. arctica.  51.  P. tenuifolia. 

38.  P. longifolia.  52.  P. gigantea. 

39.  P:  nigra,  80  ft  5».  P. mucronata. 

40.  P. variegata.  *54.  P.  obovata,  tree. 

41.  P.  orientalis,  ttdl  tree.  *55.  P.  Schrenkiana,  tree. 

42.  T.  Picea  du  noi.   Abies,  Linn.  56.  P.  Jezoensis,/*.?  100-120  ft 

100-150  ft  *57.  P.  polita. 

43.  P. Clanbrasiliana,  1-4  ft.  58.  P.  Kliutrow,  50-100  ft 

44.  P. elegans,  1-3  ft  59.  P.  Jlorinda,  50  ft 

45.  P stricta,  1-4  ft  *60.  P.'Sitcliensis. 

Species  recently  introduced. 
60a.  P.  Ajanenpis.  60i.  P.  Techugatskoi. 

Doubtful  Species,  from  Oregon  (Lewis  and  Clark.) 
Abies  aromatica.  Abies  micro])liylla. 

falcata.  mucronata. 

heterophylla.  trio-ona. 

The  whole  of  this  group,  composed  of  the  clan  of  Spruces,  assume  the 
form  of  a  spiry  cone  or  pyramid.  P.  Meraiesii,  nigra,  Picea,  and  Eltu- 
irow  are  rather  quick  growing  trees.  The  branches  are  more  or  less 
horizontal,  witli  pendulous  branchlets ;  in  some  sorts  the  branches, 
though  at  first  horizontal,  become  depressed,  with  slightly  raised  points ; 
and  in  58  the  branches  are  liorizontal  with  drooping  points  and  branch- 
lets,  ]3resenting  a  very  graceful  appearance.  P.  Jezoeiisis  is  a  native  of 
China,  and  is  described  by  Mr.  Fortune  as  a  singularly  graceful  fee. 
The  foliage  of  35,  39,  42,  53  is  a  dark  green  ;  of  5G  a  vivid  green  ;  of  41, 
is  a  pale  green ;  and  32,  33,  36,  of  a  white  glaucous ;  and  58,  59,  of  a 
pale  glaucous  green.  P.  Jezoensis  is  said  to  retain  its  leaves  for  seven 
years ;  P.  Menziesii  ofl.cr.  loses  part  of  its  foliage  during  the  first  year. 
The  majority  of  tliis  group  will  thrive  well  on  inferior  lands,  in  poor 
clays  and  boggy  soils ;  but  they  luxuriate  in  porous  soils,  in  a  moist 
mountain  climate,  and  come  to  perfection  at  higher  altitudes  than  almost 
all  others.  Tiie  Himalayan  species,  Ehutrow  and  Morinda,  require 
stro  ig  loamy  soils ;  when  planted  in  warm  sunny  situations,  in  diy  soils. 


STNOrSIS   OF   PINES.  343 

they  are  occasionally  injured  by  spring  frosl.s  :  in  sliaded  and  norllicrn 
exposures  tliey  appear  quite  hardy,  i^  nifira,  Ficea,  and  Meiiziesii 
afford  the  best  timber:  F.  nigra  and  Picea,  whh  some  others,  form 
ornamental  hedges,  and  wlien  planted  thickly,  and  topped  down  to 
four  or  five  feet  from  the  ground,  afford  excellent  cover  for  game. 

PiN'U's. — Group  4.  Larix,  Larches. 

(Cones  small  and  erect.  Leaves  in  bundles,  annual.) 

Gl.  P.  Dahurica,  low  tree.  68.  P.  Larix  flore  rubro. 

•62.  P.  Icptolepis,  tree.  69.  P. pendula. 

63.  P.  Ledebourii,  tree.  70.  P. Russica. 

64.  P.  pendula,  60-100  ft.  71,  P. repens. 

65.  P.  microcarpa,  100  ft.  1)1.  P.  Sibirica. 

66.  P.  Larix,  100  ft.  73.  P.  Griffithiana,  40-60  ft. 

67.  P. flore  albo. 

The  Larches  are  all  deciduous  trees.  They,  are  not  highly  ornamen- 
tal in  themselves;  yet  they  impart  considerai)le  variety  to  scenery.  P. 
Larix  pendula  is  a  graceful  tree  ;  and  P.  pe/ulula,  with  its  few  straggling 
drooping  branches,  has  a  somewhat  curious  aspect.  The  foliage  is 
mostly  of  a  hght-green  ;  in  65  it  is  more  vivid  than  in  the  others.  The 
Larches  succeed  best  in  an  open,  porous  soil,  wliere  there  is  a  good 
natural  drainage ;  iu  such  situations,  and  wiUi  a  moist  atmosphere,  they 
are  often  extremely  luxuriant.  On  close  retentive  subsoils  they  do  not 
thrive.  P.  microcarpa  will  grow  vigi)rously  in  more  swampy  soils  than 
any  of  the  others.  The  common  larch  is  the  most  valuable  exotic  tim- 
ber-tree which  we  have  ;  and,  in  favorable  circumstances,  will  attain  to 
perfection  at  even  higher  altitudes  tlian  the  Scotch  Fir  does. 

PiNus. — Group  5.   Cednis. 
(Cones  large,  erect     Leaves  in  bundles,  perennial.) 

74.  P.  Deodara,  100-150  ft.  77.  P.  Atlantica,  80-100  ft 

75.  P. robusta.  78.  P.  Cednis,  60-80  ft. 

76.  P. viridis.  79.  P. argentea.  . 

The  whole  of  this  group  have  a  pyramidal  form  when  young,  but 
acquire  a  broad  head  in  mature  age.  The  Deodar,  when  full  grown,  is 
said  to  have  a  wide  roof-like  head,  witli  spreading  brancht-s  and  weep- 
ing branchlets.  The  Cedans  of  Atlas  and  Lebanon  have  both  a  strongly 
marked  and  characteristic  fcnin,  in  whicli  the  jjrimai-y  branches  assume 
an  ascending  position,  and  the  socondary  branches  .a  horizoiital  and 
tabulated  arrangement  Occasionally  the  old  frees  retain  tlieir  early 
pyramidal  habit,  the  lcs.ser  branches  still  becoming  horizontal.  The 
foliage  of  the  common  cedar  is  of  a  dark  green ;  76  of  a  light  vivid 


344  PARKS    AND    rLEASURE-GROUXDS. 

green  ;  the  others  are  more  or  less  of  a  light  silveiy  green.  The  timber 
of  P.  Deodara  is  very  durable ;  that  of  the  others  is  of  a  very  inferior 
quality.  The  physiognomy  of  this  group  is  extremely  distinct,  and 
Avhen  -well  exhibited  is  highly  ornamental. 

Pixos. — Group  6.  Cemhra. 
(Cones  erect.     Leaves  in  fives,  sometimes  in  fours  and  sixes.) 
•80.  P.  parviHura,  s.  tree.  83.  P.  Ccmbra  humila,  shrub. 

*81.  P.  Koraien.sis,  10-12  ft.  84.  P. pygma>a,  shrub. 

82.  P.  Cembra,  50-70  ft.  85.  P.  Peuce,  30-40  ft. 

This  gioup  begins  the  modern  genus  Pinus,  according  to  the  Botan 
ists  -who  Iiave  subdivided  the  old  Linna?an  genus.  Only  P.  Cembra 
and  its  varieties  have  been  introduced  into  this  country ;  the  latter  are 
mere  buslies.  P.  Cembra  is  of  an  oblongated  conical  form,  and  has  fiue 
pale  glaucous  foliage.  It  is  very  -^videly  disseminated,  both  in  the  extent 
of  surface  which  it  covers,  and  of  elevation  through  which  it  ranges,  in 
the  mountain  chains  of  Central  Europe  and  Northern  Asia.  It  thrives 
■well  in  poor  soils,  at  considerable  heights,  and  is  a  useful  timber,  as 
well  as  an  ornamental  tree. 

Pcnrs. — Group  7.  Strobus. 
(Cones  drooping.     Leaves  in  fives.) 
8G.  P.  excelsa,  50-100  ft  91.  P.  monticola,  tree. 

87.  P.  Strobus,  50-150  feet  92.  P.  Ayacahuite,  100  ft. 

88.  P. alba.  93.  P.  Lambertiaua,  200  ft 

89.  P. brevifolia.  94.  P. brevifolia. 

90.  P.  nana. 

The  type  of  this  group  is  P.  Strobus,  the  Weymouth  Pine.  The 
general  form  is  pyramidal  The  branches  of  86  are  weeping ;  in  87 
they  are  at  first  ascending  and  then  spreading.  The  foliage  of  86  is  of 
a  pale  glaucous  tint ;  in  87.  bhiish ;  in  92,  wliitish-green ;  in  91,  dark 
glaucous  ;  in  93,  vivid  green  color.  The  leaves  of  P.  excelsa  are  above 
6  inches  long,  and  of  the  others  about  5  inches.  P.  Lambertiana,  which 
is  one  of  the  giants  of  the  North-west  American  forests,  is  said  to  attain 
its  greatest  height  in  pure  sand.  P.  exoclsa,  a  Himalayan  species,"  lias 
been  found  to  grow  well  on  poor,  sandy  soils  in  tliis  country. 

Pixrs.— Group  8.   Pseudo- Strobus. 
(Leaves  in  fives.) 
*95.  P.  Ehrenbergii,  100  ft.  98.  P.  oocarpa,   s  h,  40-50  ft 

96.  P.  rudis,  h?  99.  P.  oocarpa  oocarpoides,  s  h. 

97.  ?.  Hartwogii,  /l?  100.  P.  Russelliana,  h?  tree. 


SYNOPSIS   OF   riNES.  345 

101.  p.  DevoTiiaoa,  hf  80  ft  108.  P.  occidcntalis,  A?  30-50  ft 

102.  P.  macrophylla,  h?  tree.  109.  P.  Winccstcriana,  s  h.  60-80  ft 

103.  P.  Acapnlceiisis,  50  ft  110.  P.  teimifolia,  s  h. 

104.  P.  Montezuiuaj,  40  ft.  111.  P.  Pseudo-Stiobiis,  s  h. 

105.  P.  Liiidleyana,  <rec.  112.  P.  leiophylla,  A.? 

106.  P.  Gronviileffi,  60-80  ft  113.  P.  filifolia,  5  h. 

107.  P.  Gordoniana,  h?  60-bO  ft       114.  P.  Orizake,  tree. 

This  group  is  almost  exclusively  Mexican ;  it  is  of  recent  introduc- 
tion, and  as  most  of  tlie  species  are  somewhat  tender,  more  time  must 
elapse  before  their  general  habits  can  be  accurately  known.  The  Bot- 
anists who  introduced  tliem  do  not  seem  to  have  paid  much  attention 
to  the  forms  of  the  trees ;  but  as  far  as  can  be  judged  at  present,  they 
arc  likely  to  approach  the  rounded  cone,  or  an  irregular,  broad,  loose 
habit  The  branches  of  106  and  113  are  large  and  iiregular;  of  107, 
numerous  in  whorls ;  and  of  109,  few,  strong,  irregular,  and  spreading. 
The  foliage  in  100,  107,  112,  and  114,  is  of  a  liglit  green  ;  in  102,  103, 
104,  105,  109,  111,  it  IS  glaucous;  and  in  106  it  is  of  a  dark-green  color. 
The  leaves  of  all  the  species  are  extremely  long  ;  in  P.  Deconianu  and 
Wincesteriana  they  are  from  12  to  14  inches  long  ;  and  in  P.  macrophylla 
and  Gordaiuana  about  15  or  16  inches  long.  The  timber  of  112  is  val- 
uable. The  curious,  tressy,  light-colored  foliage  of  this  group  makes 
it  very  desirable  for  ornamental  purposes.  The  value  of  the  timber 
generally  has  not  yet  been  well  ascertained. 

Pi.NUS. — Group  9.   Tceda. 
(Leaves  in  threes.) 

115.  P.  Teocoto,  100  ft  125.  P.  Sabiniana,  h?  120  ft 

116.  P.  patula,  h?  126.  P.  radiata,  100  ft 

117.  P. stricta,  h*  127.  P.  tuberculata,  100  ft. 

118.  P. macrocarpa,  hf  128.  P.  Benthaniiaua,  200  ft 

*119.  P.  insularis.  129.  P.  insignis,  60-100  ft 

120.  P.  Pcrsica,  h?  130.  P.  ponderosa,  80-100  ft 

121.  P.  Sinensis,  tree.  131.  P.  scrotina,  40  ft. 

122.  P.  longifolia,  s  h,  50-80  ft  132.  P.  rigida,  70-80  ft. 

123.  P.  Gerardiana,  h?  50  ft.  133.  P.  Tieda,  80  ft 
124  P.  macrocarpa,  120  ft.  134.  P.  au.stralis,  h? 

Sincluirii,  Hort.  135.  P.  Canaiiensis,  5  A. 

Coulteri,  Don.  136.  P.  Bungeana. 

In  tliis  group  the  forms  range  from  the  rounded  cone  to  the  broad, 
irregular  head.    The  branches  exhibit  peculiarities  of  habit ;  those  of 

124.  128  are  large,  spreading,  and  irregular ;  of  123,  horizontal,  spread- 
ing, and  twisted;  of  125,  loose  and  robu."^! ;  of  130,  few  and  horizontal, 

15* 


346  PARKS   AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

in  reg-iilar  whorls  ;  of  129  and  132,  densely  set.  The  color  of  125  is  a 
silvery  green  ;  of  124,  glaucous;  of  115,  116,  123,  light-green ;  of  121 
and  129,  vivid  greeii ;  and  of  126,  128,  130,  dark  green.  The  length  of 
the  leaves  varies,  generally  from  2  to  8  inclies,  but  in  124,  125,  128,  130, 
it  ranges  from  10  to  12  inches.  P.  insignis,  Sabiniana,  macrocarpa,  and 
ponderosa  are  of  very  rapid  growth.  P.  Ttxda,  radiata,  and  ttiheradata 
stand  the  sea-breeze  well  in  tlieir  native  countries,  and  are  expected  to 
prove  acquisitions  to  parks  near  the  sea-coast  in  the  United  Kingdom. 
P.  Sabiniana  requires  a  rich  loam ;  Gerardiana  thrives  among  rocks 
and  crags  ;  Tccda  in  very  barren  ground,  but  attains  its  greatest  perfec- 
tion in  swampy  soils.  P.  insignis  and  rigida  afford  effective  shelter. 
The  tivaher  oi  P.  rigida  is  valuable,  and  that  of  P.  ponderosa  is  expected 
to  prove  so.  The  light  silvery  color  of  P.  Sabiniana  and  macrocarpa 
will  be  as  marked  in  ornamental  scenery,  during  the  whole  year,  as  the 
summer  garb  of  the  Huntingdon  willow  ;  and  the  light  green  of  P.  Teo- 
cote,  patula,  and  Gerardiana,  as  tliat  of  the  summer  greens  of  the  decid- 
uous trees. 

PiNUS. — Group  10.  Pinaster. 

(Leaves  in  pairs,  rarely  in  threes.) 

137.  P.  pungens,  100  ft.  157.  P. Altai  ca. 

138.  P.  muricata,  40  ft.         ,  158.  P. globosa. 

139.  P.  inops,  40-50  ft.  159.  P. tortuosa. 

140.  P.  mitis,  50-00  ft.  *1G0.  P.  densiflora,  40  ft. 

141.  P.  variabilis,  30-40  ft.  161.  P.  Massoniana,  s  h. 

142.  P.  Pinaster,  50-60  ft  *162.  P.  Merkusii,  100  ft. 

143.  P. Escarcna.  163.  P.  Banksiana,  40  ft. 

144.  P. Lemoniana.  164.  P.  resinosa,  80  ft. 

145.  P. niinor.  165.  P.  Laricio,  100-150  ft. 

146.  P.  variegata.  106.  P. Calabrica. 

147.  P.  Pumilio,  5-10  ft:  167.  P. Caramanica. 

148.  P.  uncinata,  30-50  ft.  16b.  P. subviridis. 

Mugho,  Lindl.  169.  P. pygmrea. 

149.  p. rotundata.'  170.  P.  Austriaca,  100-120  ft. 

150.  P. humilis.  171.  P.  Pyrenaica,  60-70  ft. 

151.  P. obliqua.  172.  P.  Pallasiana,  60-80  ft. 

152.  P.  sylvestris,  40-80  ft.  Taurica,  Hort. 

153.  r. rubra,  60-70  ft.  173.  P.  Halapensis,  h?  30-40  ft. 

154.  P. argentea.  174.  P.  maratima,  h? 

155.  P.  sylvestris  monophylla.  175.  P.  Brutea,  A.? 

156.  P. Haganoviensis. 

All  the  trees  of  this  group  have  more  or  less  pyramidal  forms  when 
young  ;  many  of  them  have,  or  approach  to,  the  form  of  a  rounded 


6TN0PSIS   OF    PI^^E6.  347 

cone  when  they  have  attained  a  considerable  size ;  but  137,  IGl,  170 
acquire  broad-formed  heads ;  the  pyramidal  form  is  retained  by  142, 
165,  172 ;  some,  as  147,  148,  are  seldom  more  than  bushes.  The 
branches  of  139,  163,  173,  arc  long  and  pendulous;  of  161,  175,  spread- 
hig ;  those  of  164,  165,  171,  have  a  loose,  and  147  a  creeping  habit- 
The  color  in  154  is  silvery  ;  in  161,  glaucous  ;  in  173,  175,  light  green  ; 
is  152,  a  somber  glaucous  green  ;  and  in  the  others,  shades  of  dark 
green.  The  -whole  of  them  thrive  iu  inferior  soils ;  139,  173,  in  drj-, 
barren,  and  sandy  soils;  163,  165,  170,  172,  in  good  sandy  soils;  but 
the  last  three  in  a  variety  of  other  soils,  if  not  wet.  P.  variabilis  and 
Pinaster,  vrith  its  varieties,  in  sandy  soils  along  the  sea-coast,  but  not  in 
wet  or  calcareous  soils.  P.  Laricio  is  of  very  rapid  growth  ;  P.  Pinas- 
ter, Auslriaca,  Pyrenaica,  and  Pallasiana  are  also  rapidly-growing  trees. 
The  timber  of  138, 152,  153,  164,  165,  170,  171,  175,  is  of  superior  qual- 
ity. P.  Pumilio  and  uncinaia  form  good  covers  for  game ;  they  will 
grow  in  verj*  elevated  situations.  Many  of  the  members  of  this  group 
supply  the  landscape-gardener  with  the  means  of  imparting  depth  of 
shade  to  scenery. 

PiNus. — Group  11.  Plnca. 

(Leaves  in  pairs,  rarely  in  threes.) 

176.  P.  Pinea,  h?  50-60  ft.  179.  P.  Fremontiana,  h?  20  ft. 

177.  p. Cretica,  s  h,  40-50  ft.    180.  P.  cembroides,  h? 

178.  P. fragilis,  «  h.  181.  P.  Llaveana,  h? 

This  group  is  a  small  one  ;  and  from  their  impatience  of  cold  iu  this 
country,  its  members  seldom  rise  above  the  size  of  large  bushes.  Pinea 
and  its  varieties  have  a  peculiarly  flat  head,  and  are  of  a  dark  green 
color.  The  foliage  of  179  and  181  is  glaucous,  and  that  of  180  a  vivid 
green.    They  may  be  planted  a.s  shrubs  in  sheltered  places. 

Doubtfxd  Species. 
P.  Arabica.  P.  Finlaysoniana. 

RucoEDtR  II.  ARAUCARIE^. 
Gen.l.  ARAUCARIA. 
1.  A.  imbricata,  100  ft. 
This  remarkable  tree  is  a  native  of  the  southern  mountains  of  Chili, 
and  is  quit«  hardy.     It  is  to  be  regretted  that  its  congeners,  some  of 
which  are  not  less  beautiful,  are  not  sufficiently  robust  to  bear  our  cli- 
mate out  of  doors.     From  the  peculiarly  rigid  and  apparently  artificiiil 
habit  of  A.  imbricata,  and  its  singular  dark -green  foliage,  it  has  alway.«, 
since   its   introduction,  been    a   special   favorite.     Intrinsically  a   fins 


348  PARKS   AND    PLEASUKE-GKOUNDS. 

object,  it  is  extremely  effective  in  ornamental  scenery,  in  the  way  of 
contrast  to  tlie  more  massive  and  less  marked  forms  of  other  trees  and 
shrubs.  At  the  same  time,  it  must  be  admitted  that  it  does  not  group 
Tery  well  by  itself. 

SuBOEDEE  III.  CUNNINGHAMIEJS. 

Gen.  1.  CUIfNINGHAMIA. 
1.  C.  Sinensis,  s  h,  40-50  ft. 

Gen.  2.  SEQUOIA. 
I.  S.  gigantea,  200  ft.  "     2.  S.  semper\-irens. 

Cunninghamia  Si7iensis  is  not  a  very  ornamental  tree  when  young, 
but  it  improves  in  this  respect  as  it  increases  in  age.  It  is,  probably, 
however,  always  inferior  to  the  Araucaria.  Sequoia  gigantea  is  a  re- 
markable evergreen  tree  from  California,  of  rapid  growth,  and  requiring 
shelter  and  a  somewhat  moist  climate.  In  exposed  situations,  its  fine 
foliage  is  liable  to  be  injured  by  winds.  The  branches  alternate  round 
the  trunk,  and  as  they  are  short  they  give  the  tree  an  upright  form. 
We  suspect  that  at  present  there  is  some  confusion,  or  at  least  indis- 
tinctness of  view,  among  botanists  regarding  the  two  species. 


Okder  III.   PODOCAKPE^. 

Gen.  1.  PODOCARPUS. 
1.  P.  nubigena,  h?    Patagonia. 

Gen.  2.  MICROCACHRYS. 
1.  M.  tetragona,  15-20  ft.     Van  Dieman's  Lmtd. 

Gen.  3.  SAXE-GOTHEA. 
1.  S.  conspicua,  30  ft.  Patagonia. 
Of  this  fine  Natural  Order  there  are,  unfortunately,  of  the  species  in- 
troduced into  this  country,  very  few  hardy.  We  have  given  the  above 
in  the  hope  that,  as  two  have  proved  sufficiently  robust  to  stand  our 
climate,  the  others  will  do  so  also.  Saxe-Gothea,  or  Prince  Albert's 
Yew,  has  scarcely  been  definitely  located,  as  yet,  in  the  Natural  Sys- 
tem ;  but  we  have  ventured  to  place  it  in  this  Order.  It  promises  to  be 
<i  vuiuuble  addition  to  our  ornamental  trees. 


SYNOPSIS    OF    PINKS.  349 


Obdek  ly.   T/VXINE^. 

Geu.  1.  SALISBURIA. 
1.  S.  adiantifolia,  10-30  ft 
Where  Salisbiiria,  or  the  Maiden-hair  tree,  attains  a  considerable  size, 
it  assumes  a  broad  form  ;  but  it  is  seldom  found  in  that  state,  except  in 
the  southern  climates  of  Great  Britain,  in  rich,  deep  soils  and  warm  sub- 
soOs.  Its  light-green  leaves,  which  are  generally  much  divided  and 
furnished  with  conspicuous  nerves,  are  its  chief  peculiarity,  and  render 
it  very  unlike  any  other  tree  in  cultivation. 

Gen.  2.  CEPHALOTAXUS. 

1.  C.  pedunculata,  tree.  4.  C.  umbraculifera. 

2.  C.  drupacea,  tree.  5.  C.  Fortuni. 

3.  C.  tardiva. 

These  are  fine  evergreen  trees  :  1  is  a  large  tree,  with  slender  weep- 
ing branches,  and  3  has  an  upright  habit.  The  foliage  is  of  a  dark 
green,  with  a  whitish  glaucous  tint  underneath,  in  3  and  4.  The  leaves, 
which  in  all  the  species  resemble  those  of  the  yew,  are  in  5  three  or  four 
inches  long. 

Gen.  3.  TORREYA. 

1.  T.  taxifolia,  20  ft.  3.  T.  nucifera,  30-40  ft. 

2.  T.  Humboldt!,  tree. 

The  Torreyas  ara  yew-like  trees.  T.  taxifolia  has  vivid  green  leaves, 
which  are  glaucous  underneath. 

Gen.  4.  TAXUS. 

1.  T.  baccata,  30-40  ft.  9.  T.  baccata  lutca. 

2.  T. sparsifoha.  10.  T.  fastigiata,  Irish,  5-15  ft. 

3.  T. argentea.  H.  T. variegata. 

4.  T. aurea.  12.  T.  Canadensis,  4-6  ft 

5.  T. Dovastoni.  ■*13.  T.cuspidata. 

6.  T. pyramidalis.  *14.  T.  Wallichiana. 

7.  T. erecta.  *15.  T.  globosa. 

8.  T. elegantissima.  IC.  T.  adpressa. 

The  comrmon  yew  (1)  is,  in  open  situations,  a  broad,  spreading, 
branching  tree  ;  in  a  close  wood  it  grows  more  erect.  In  5  the  branches 
are  pendulous,  and  in  7  erect.  In  6  tlie  form  is  pyramidal ;  the  Irisli 
yew  (10)  is  of  a  well-known  upright  form.  2'.  Cariailensis  is  of  less 
vigorous  growth  than  th^  common  yew,  with  slender  spreading  branches. 


350  PARKS   AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

and  leaves  of  a  reddish  tinge.  The  foliage  of  yews  is  generally  of  a 
dark  green.  Mr.  Barron,  of  Elvaston  Castle,  greatly  commends  4  as  the 
most  effective  yellow  evergreen  known.  Yews  are  extremely  usefid  in 
pleasure-grounds,  as  low  trees  and  shrubs,  and  make  good  undergrowths 
in  the  woods  of  the  park,  especially  where  a  depth  of  shade  is  required. 
It  must  never  be  forgotten  that  they  are  poisonous  to  horses  and  cattle. 


The  Effects  of  Climate. — The  climate  of  the  lo- 
cality will,  in  great  measure,  limit  the  number  of 
species  in  the  pinetum,  or  at  least  the  number  of  those 
which  may  be  expected  to  attain  a  considerable  degree 
of  perfection.  Of  the  hardiness  of  certain  recently- 
introduced  sorts  some  doubts  may  be  reasonably  enter- 
tained, except,  perhaps,  in  the  case  of  such  as  are 
known  to  thrive  in  climates  of  equal  or  greater  se- 
verity than  our  own.  In  the  southern  parts  of  Eng- 
land and  Ireland,  most,  perhaps  all,  of  those  marked 
sub-hardy  may  succeed  ;  but  in  less  favored  localities, 
they  will  exist  only  as  specimens  preserved  with  dif- 
ficulty. Those  marked  doubtful  will  also  become  in- 
ferior trees  and  shrubs.  In  the  higher  and  more 
northern  regions  of  the  country,  the  sub-hardy  kinds 
must  increase  in  number,  and  so  proportionally  dimin- 
ish the  extent  of  the  members  of  the  pinetum.  The 
climate  of  the  south  of  England  and  Ireland,  and  of 
the  west  coast  and  islands  of  Scotland,  where  there  is 
little  frost,  we  can  not  doubt,  will  prove  most  suitable 
to  the  group  Pseudo-Strdbus^  which  is  the  most  deli- 
cate of  all  the  divisions  of  the  jDine'  tribe.  At  the 
same  time,  there  are  some  countervailing  circumstances 
in  elevated  localities.  Many  of  the  pines  are  natives 
of  mountainous  regions,  and  therefore  find  something 


EFFECT!?   OV   CLIMATE.  351 

coTigenial  in  our  hill  climates.  "We  doubt  not  that  cer- 
tain species,  whicii  do  not  succeed  in  the  low  grounds, 
will  be  found  to  do  better  in  the  higher  districts.  The 
principalreasons  of  their  failure  in  the  warmer  locali- 
ties are,  that  the  season  of  growth  being  unduly  pro- 
tracted, they  do  not  sufficiently  ripen  their  annual 
shoots  before  the  arrival  of  the  autumnal  frosts ;  and 
further,  even  where  the  wood  has  been  well  ripened, 
there  are  not  unfrequcntly,  in  these  localities,  long 
periods  of  mild  grovring  weather,  in  winter  and  early 
spring,  which  excite  vegetation  long  before  the  vernal 
frosts  have  passed  away;  in  either  case,  the  young 
wood  is  more  or  less  destroyed.  In  hill  climates,  again, 
there  is  no  time  for  a  second  or  protracted  growth  in 
the  end  of  summer,  and  the  young  shoots,  though 
shorter,  are  better  ripened  than  in  the  low  country ; 
besides,  the  spring  is  comparatively  short ;  the  transi- 
tion from  winter  to  summer  is  generally  rapid,  and  so 
the  plants  escape  with  little  injury.  If  there  is  a  con- 
stitutional tendency  in  any  plants  to  a  protracted 
growth,  there  is  little  probability  of  their  ever  prov- 
ing hardy ;  still,  this  tendency  is  always  found  to  be 
greatest  when  the  plants  are  young,  and  therefore  no 
one  should  be  discouraged  even  by  repeated  failures 
in  such  cases.  11.  Graham,  Esq.,  of  Belstane,  whose 
judicious  and  persevering  etforts  in  acclimatizing 
plants  have  met  with  deserved  success,  when  furnish- 
ing his  pinetum,  at  his  residence  about  twelve  miles 
from  Edinburgh  and  more  than  seven  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  found  that  plants  procured 
from  the  nurseries  of  Paris,  London,  and  Edinburgh, 
continued  tender  for  the  first  two  or  three  years,  till 
their  constitution  had  become  attempered  to  the  place, 


352  PARKS   AND    PLEASDRE-GKOUNDS. 

and  tbev  bad  outlived  the  period  of  irregular  growth. 
To  Mr.  Graham  we  are  indebted  for  some  of  the  indi- 
cations of  hardiness  given  in  the  foregoing  enumera- 
tion of  species.  We  have  also  been  favt)red  with 
similar  information  by  George  Patton,  Esq-.,  of  The 
Carnies,  a  zealous  and  successful  cultivator  of  pines, 
whose  pinetum,  in  the  sub-alpine  country  west  of  Perth, 
affords  abundant  corroborative  proof  of  the  views  we 
have  expressed.  In  our  remarks  appended  to  the  sec- 
tions Ahies  and  Pieea^  we  mentioned  several  species 
whose  young  shoots  are  liable  to  be  injured  by  spring 
frosts,  and  other  sorts  might  easily  be  added  to  the 
number.  Such  injuries  generally  occur  when  they  are 
planted  in  warm,  sunny  situations,  and  arise  from  their 
being,  at  the  time,  in  advance  of  the  average  climate 
of  the  place.  These  results  seldom  occur  when  they 
grow  on  ground  sloping  toward  the  north,  or  where 
they  are  little  exposed  to  the  sun  in  spring.  The  de- 
crease of  injury  from  late  frosts,  as  the  tree  increases 
in  age  and  size,  is  strongly  marked  in  the  Cephaloniau 
and  silver  firs.  It  remains  to  be  added,  that  the  power 
of  many  species  to  resist  the  severities  of  our  climate 
has  still  to  be  tested  by  more  rigorous  winters  and 
springs  than  we  have  experienced  of  late  years. 

Soil  of  the  Pinetum. — Generally  speaking,  pines 
do  not  require  deep  or  rich  soils,  and  they  succeed  best 
on  ground  of  loose  texture,  lying  on  subsoils  through 
which  water  percolates  freely.  Some  spruces  thrive 
in  comparatively  poor  clayey  soils;  and  along  with 
Larix  microcarpa  and  Pinus  Tmda^  grow  vigorously 
in  moist  or  even  swampy  ground  ;  but  these  are  excep- 
tions to  the  general  rule.  Otliers,  such  as  P.  Lam- 
lertiana^  Pinaster^  aiistralis^  excelsa^  and  a  few  more, 


EARLY   CL'LTIVATION    OF    PLANTS.  353 

flourish  greatly  iu  dry,  sandy  soils  ;  the  first  two  seem 
to  luxuriate  in  deep  sand.  The  group  AMes  generally 
requires  richer  land  than  the  others  to  bring  them  to 
perfection.  The  whole  family,  however,  will  do  well 
iu  the  soil  indicated  above.  Where  the  land  is  natur- 
ally of  a  close,  clayey  texture,  the  growth  of  the 
young  trees  will  be  promoted  by  the  removal  of  the 
earth,  for  each  plant,  to  the  extent  of  six  or  ten  feet  in 
diameter  and  eighteen  inches  deep,  its  place  being 
supplied  by  earth  of  a  more  suitable  quality.  In  re- 
filling the  pit  thus  made,  the  new  surface  should  be 
raised  in  the  form  of  a  hillock,  from  six  to  nine  inches 
above  the  old  level ;  allowance,  besides,  being  made 
for  subsidence.  In  retentive  ground,  these  pits  should 
be  properly  drained,  otherwise  they  will  become  re- 
ceptacles of  water,  to  the  serious  detriment  of  the 
young  trees.  In  poor  soils,  the  same  method  of  pitting 
may  be  employed  for  those  species  which  require 
richer  food.  Trenching  to  the  depth  of  eighteen  inches 
is  a  useful  but  rather  expensive  preparation  for  the 
pinetum ;  where  it  is  adopted,  as  it  may  sometimes  be 
by  zealous  cultivators,  care  should  be  taken  not  to 
bmy  the  surface-soil  under  the  lower  and  inferior  soil, 
or  subsoil. 

Early  Clltivation  of  the  Plants. — All  pines 
should,  if  possible,  be  raised  from  seed.  Seedling 
plants  invariably  grow  most  vigorously  from  the  first, 
and  form  ultimately  the  most  handsome  trees.  In  the 
case  of  new  and  recently-introduced  sorts,  seed  is  often 
procured  with  difficulty;  and  therefore,  propagators 
have  frequently  had  recourse  to  grafts  and  cuttings. 
Unexpected  success  has  often  attended  both  methods 
of  propagation.     We  have  already  mentioned  (p.  liS'^ 


354  PAKKS   AND   PLEASUEE-GEOUNDS. 

that  we  had  grafted  P.  Morinda  on  common  spruces, 
at  Ilopetouu,  and  that  they  are  now  fine  trees.  Mr. 
Barron,  of  Elvaston,  seems  to  have  been  equally  suc- 
cessful with  the  deodar  on  the  common  cedar.  At 
present,  indeed,  P.  nobilis,  grandis,  and  some  other 
species,  and  many  of  the  singular  varieties,  can  hardly 
be  procured  from  nurseries  in  any  other  form.  Li 
grafting,  the  stock  should  be  of  a  vigorous  and  allied 
species.  We  found  that  while  Morinda  flourished  on 
the  spruce,  it  merely  lived  and  dwindled  on  the  Scotch 
fir.  The  scion  should  be  taken,  if  possible,  from  the 
point  of  the  leading  shoot  of  an  upper  lateral  branch  ; 
inattention  to  this  precaution  lias  been  the  cause  of 
many  failures  in  grafting.  AVe  have  seen  good  plants 
of  P.  Deodara  and  Morinda  formed  from  cuttings ; 
and  we  should  suppose  that  the  same  method  might 
succeed  with  various  other  of  the  small-leaved  species. 
In  most  plants,  however,  propagated  by  grafts  or  cut- 
tings, some  attention  and  skill  is  required,  to  throw, 
by  judicious  pruning,  the  main  strength  of  the  tree 
toward  the  leading  shoot.  After  all,  seedlings  will 
always  be  justly  preferred.  Hitherto  many  young 
pines  have  been  grown  in  pots.  This  has  arisen  partly 
from  the  great  demand  for  rare  species,  partly  from 
the  idea,  which  is  more  or  less  correct,  that  some  of 
these  are  tender  when  young,  and  partly  also  from  the 
facility  with  which,  when  grown  in  pots,  they  can  be 
transmitted  to  distant  parts  of  the  country  at  any  sea- 
son. These  supposed  advantages  are  often  sadly  coun- 
terbalanced by  the  early  contortion  of  the  roots,  and 
the  consequent  overthrow  of  the  trees,  in  later  years, 
by  strong  winds,  a  disaster  by  far  too  common  in  pine- 
tums.     "When  put,  at  first,  into  very  small   pots  — 


EAELY  CULTIVATION  OF  PLANTS.        355 

wlilcli  are  often  not  more  than  two  inches  in  diame- 
ter—  the  roots  become  matted  and  twisted  round  the 
interior  of  tlie  pot ;  and  this  process  may  be  repeated 
at  each  successive  shifting,  till  the  roots  have  assumed 
the  form  of  a  bird's  nest,  and  the  upper  part  of  the 
plants  have  been  in  a  great  measure  stunted.  They 
are  frequently  transferred  to  the  open  ground  without 
any  efficient  attempts  being  made  to  spread  out  the 
roots  on  the  surface ;  and  when  the  separation  of  the 
roots  is  resorted  to,  it  may  be  so  violent  as  to  give  a 
considerable  check  to  the  growth,  for  which  reason  it 
is  often  employed  with  reluctance ;  indeed,  in  old  pot- 
grown  plants,  whose  roots  have  acquired  a  firm  set, 
the  operation  may  be  impossible ;  in  which  case  it  will 
be  more  satisfactory  to  throw  theui  away  than  to  plant 
them,  for  they  are  almost  sure  to  be  upset  by  the  wind 
when  they  have  attained  the  height  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
feet.  Most  of  the  pine  tribe  have  few  or  no  tap  roots. 
They  spread  their  principal  roots  all  round  near  the 
surface  of  the  soil ;  and  these  roots,  being  more  or  less 
at  right  angles  to  the  trunk,  according  to  the  slope  of 
the  ground,  afford  the  tree  a  primary  rest  or  support, 
independently  of  the  hold  which,  as  roots,  they  take 
of  th.e  soil.  Of  course  this  advantage  is  greatly  less- 
ened, if  not  wholly  lost,  by  pot-culture.  Nevertheless, 
this  mode  of  propagation  can  not  be  wholly  discon- 
tinued. Some  pines  are  undeniably  tender  while 
young.  The  facility  with  which  plants  can  be  turned 
out  of  pots  with  good  balls,  is  of  considerable  value. 
For  these  reasons,  this  method  of  cultivation  should 
be,  if  possible,  improved,  and  its  disadvantages  sedu- 
lously remedied.  We  would  recommend  the  employ- 
ment  of  wider   and    shallower   pots   than   those    in 


356  PARKS   AND   PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 

common  use  —  say  six  inches  in  diameter  by  four  in 
depth  for  the  first  potting,  and  ten  by  six  for  the  second. 
Perhaps  it  wouhl  be  better  to  adopt  the  larger  pots  at 
once,  as  these  would  allow  the  roots  to  spread,  and 
prevent  the  corkscrew  set,  which  is  the  bane  of  pot- 
culture.  Another  error  is,  that  pines  are  generally  re- 
tained too  long  in  pots,  being  kept  during  summer  in 
some  back  region  or  shaded  frame  in  a  garden  or  nur- 
sery, to  save  the  trouble  of  frequent  watering;  and 
the  result  of  this  treatment  is  almost  invariably  a 
stunted  habit,  which  is  very  difiicult  to  overcome. 
Pines  in  pots  should  be  encouraged  to  grow  vigorously, 
and  should  be  put  out  as  soon  as  they  are  able  to  bear 
the  open  air.  It  is  right  to  add,  that  nurserymen  have 
met  with  unmerited  reproach  in  regard  to  the  small- 
pot  culture  of  pines.  We  have  examined  few  private 
collections  in  which  the  system  was  not  equally 
prevalent. 

Planting  of  the  Pinetum. — As  a  general  rule,  the 
best  season  for  planting  pines  is  in  October.  If  the 
plants  are  in  pots,  or  are  growing  in  the  vicinity  of 
their  permanent  site,  and  have  been  well  prepared  by 
frequent  removals,  they,  may  be  successfully  trans- 
planted during  moist  weather  in  April  or  in  the  begin- 
nino-  of  May.  At  each  of  these  seasons  the  soil  should 
be  thoroughly  saturated  with  water,  when  the  opera- 
tion of  planting  is  two-thirds  completed.  The  plants 
should  not  be  placed  deeper  in  the  earth  than  they 
were  previously ;  and  it  contributes  much  to  the  early 
prosperity  of  the  plant  that  the  roots  be  covered  with 
leaf-mould  or  well-rotted,  turfy  loam.  It  is  injudicious 
to  stake  the  trees  any  further  than  may  be  necessary 
to  prevent  windshaking,  for  a  year  or  two.     While  the 


PKUNING    OF   PINES.  357 

young  plants  are  tender,  and  require  protection  in 
winter,  three  or  four  stakes  driven  into  the  ground, 
and  rising  a  few  inches  above  the  top  of  the  tree,  and 
covered  with  matting  or  spruce-fir  branches,  will  gen- 
erally afford  sufljcient  shelter.  Some  protect  the  lead- 
ing shoot  by  a  bell-glass,  or  cap  of  felt,  supported  in 
the  same  way.  For  subsequent  cultivation,  little  more 
is  required  than  the  clearing  away  of  long  grass  and 
weeds  from  the  young  plants,  and  the  thinning  out 
of  nurses^  where  that  mode  of  protection  has  been 
employed. 

Pruning  of  Pines. — The  fir  tribe,  when  grown  in 
close  plantations,  require  little  or  no  pruning.  In  the 
pinetum,  a  moderate  application  of  the  knife  is  bene- 
ficial  to  many  of  the  species.  Owing  to  differences 
of  climate,  or  variation  in  the  pressure  of  the  atmos- 
phere from  differences  of  altitude,  some  of  the  sorts, 
which  are  tall  trees  in  their  own  countries,  ai'e  apt  to 
grow  bushy  with  us ;  or,  from  accidental  circumstances, 
some  of  the  higher  lateral  bi'anches  may  show  a  dis- 
position to  compete  with  the  leading  shoot.  In  all 
these  cases,  the  thinning-out  of  the  branches,  especially 
the  small  ones,  and  the  foreshortening  of  those  which 
are  acquiring  an  excessive  or  irregular  luxuriance,  will 
be  found  useful,  particularly  in  the  Cedrus^  Picea^  and 
Abies  groups.  The  object  kept  in  view  should  be  to 
direct  the  flow  of  sap  to  the  head  and  shoulders  of  the' 
tree ;  but  it  ought  to  be  regarded  as  a  first  principle, 
that  by  pruning  the  natural  form  of  growth  is  to  be 
promoted,  and  not  constrained  into  any  thing  artificial. 
Mr.  M'Nab,  of  the  Edinburgh  Botanic  Garden,  who 
has  inherited  and  acquired  much  experimental  knowl- 
edge in  this  department  of  arboriculture,  has  found 


35S  PAEKS    AND    PLEASUKE-GKOL'NDS. 

that  the  pruning  of  trees  in  the  pinetuni  is  most  sue* 
cessfully  performed  in  July.  This  result  indicates  that 
the  proper  time  for  this  work  is  when,  the  season's 
growth  being  far  advanced,  and  the  flow  of  sap  abated, 
there  is  little  danger  of  an  excessive  exudation  of 
resinous  matter  from  the  wounds.  We  may  add,  that 
it  is  generally  inexpedient  to  take  off  large  limbs  from 
this  class  of  trees. 

Decoratlve    Treatment    of   the    Pinetum. — The 
pinetum,  when  planted  separately,  as  it  is  desirable  it 
should  be,  is  best  arranged  in  groups,  with  irregular 
lawns  passing  between  them  ;  the  larger  trees  occupy- 
ing the  leading  positions,  and  those  of  lower  growth  or 
shrubby  character  filling  up  the  secondary  places.    The 
groups  should  be  made  up  of  the  generic  and  sub- 
generic  divisions,  as  given  in  our  enumeration  of  the 
species.     In  the  genera  Junijperus  and  Pinus,  some 
of  the  sub-generic  sections  may  require  to  be  further 
broken  down,  otherwise  many  of  the  species  must  be 
so  placed  that  they  will  have  enough  of  room  only  for 
their  partial  development ;  or  they  must  be  dotted  out 
at   such  distances  as  nearly  to  ungroup  the  whole. 
"Where  there  is  a  liberal  allowance  of  ground  to  be 
occupied  by  the  pinetum,  we  should  be  disposed  to 
recommend  that  the  groups  should  be  constructed  with 
principal  trees,  arranged  on  strict  botanical  principles, 
but  planted  very  sparsely;  and  that  the  intervals  .be- 
tween these  main  trees  should  be  filled  up  with  inter- 
esting duplicates  of  the  same  or  allied  species,  to  act 
as  nurses,  or  to  be  temporary  occupants,  till  the  whole 
space  is  required  by  the  others.     This  plan,  of  course, 
implies  a  continued  and  resolute  thinning-out,  as  the 
pinetum  advances  to  maturity.    We  do  not  think  it 


DECORATIVE   TREATMENT   OF  THE   PINETXT3I.        359 

needful  to  sa  j  any  thing  of  the  position  of  the  groups 
relatively  to  each  other,  as  our  remarks  on  the  decora- 
tive treatment  of  the  arboretum  will,  mutatis  mutan- 
dis^ apply  to  the  jjinetum. 

In  our  remarks  appended  to  the  lists  of  species,  we 
have  noticed  the  colors  of  the  foliage  and  the  forms  of 
man  J  of  the  trees  and  shrubs  there  enumerated,  to  aid. 
the  planter  in  making  his  selection  and  fixing  his 
subordinate  arrangements.  The  effect  of- the  various 
colors  is  an  element  which  must  be  taken  into  careful 
consideration.  Hitherto,  the  species  employed  have 
been  principally  those  with  dark-colored  foliage  —  a 
property  extremely  valuable  in  producing  depths  of 
shade,  and  in  affording  contrasts  wliere  such  effects 
are  necessary;  but  which,  in  many  places  and  posi- 
tions, both  in  the  pinetum  and  in  the  pleasure-ground 
generally,  has  imparted  a  gloomy  expression,  particu  • 
larly  when  the  masses  are  unbroken  and  unrelieved. 
When,  then,  the  pinetum  is  planted  on  a  level  surface, 
it  is  peculiarly  needful,  in  order  to  lighten  the  somber 
effect  incident  to  fir-woods  with  dark- colored  foliage, 
tliat  some  of  the  lawns  between  the  groups  should  be 
of  considerable  width,  to  afford  effective  breadths  of 
light  in  contrast  with  the  depth  of  shade  yielded  by 
these  deep-tinted  and  embowering  trees.  There  should, 
besides,  be  a  free  use  of  the  species  exhibiting  silvery, 
glaucous,  and  vivid  greens;  and  the  duplicates  and 
nurses,  as  suggested  above,  should  be  principally  of 
this  character.  It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  remark, 
that  the  somber  effect  to  which  m'c  are  now  alluding 
has  probably  been  the  cause  of  the  very  sparing  em- 
ployment of  the  ConiferoB  in  parks  and  pleasure- 
grounds  generally,  and  of  the  corresponding  excess  in 


360  PAKKS   AND   PLEASUKE-GROITS'DS. 

the  use  of  deciduous  trees.  This  is  an  error  to  be  re- 
gretted, and,  if  possible,  to  be  corrected.  By  the 
judicious  intermixture  of  firs  possessed  of  light  and 
vivid  green  foliage,  a  considerable  amount  of  ever- 
green clothing  might  be  given  to  the  woods,  without 
saddening,  but  rather,  on  the  contrary,  enlivening, 
particularly  in  winter,  the  general  features  of  the  place. 
The  effect  of  light-green  foliage  may  be  observed  dur- 
ing summer  in  the  young  shoots  of  the  Scotch,  silver, 
and  spruce  firs,  which,  at  that  season,  when  seen  from 
a  distance,  are  not  easily  distinguished  from  their  de- 
ciduous neighbors,  except  from  their  dissimilarity  of 
form.  As  to  the  general  effects  of  form,  in  the  fir 
tribe,  the  reader  is  referred  to  our  chapter  "  On  the 
Ornamental  Character  of  Trees." 

The  necessary  expansion  of  the  lawns  in  a  regular 
and  well-appointed  pinetum,  tends  to  discoui-age  some 
proprietors  from  allowing  the  ample  space  which  is 
requisite  for  their  formation;  and  where  land  is  very 
valuable,  we  can  not  wonder  that  it  should  be  so.  In 
hilly  or  upland  districts,  there  is  often  much  more 
space  than  is  required  for  this  purpose  thrown  away  on 
useless  or  promiscuous  woods  of  little  character  or 
value.  In  such  cases,  want  of  room  is  no  valid  objec- 
tion. But  even  when  his  territory  is  limited,  the  pine- 
fancier  need  not  be  wholly  discouraged,  as  he  may 
have  a  considerable  collection  of  his  favorite  trees,  and 
derive  much  pleasure  from  their  cultivation,  if  he  is 
content  with  the  opportunity  of  admiring  them  when 
they  are  young,  or  during  the  first  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  years  of  their  growth ;  but  after  that  period,  he 
may  expect  to  see  them  disfiguring  and  destroying 
each  other  by  their  mutual  pressure,  or  he  must  be 


•  DECOKATIVE    TREATMENT    OF    THE   PINETUM.        361 

prepared  to  exhibit  the  decision  of  the  sailor  who  cuts 
down  one  mast  to  preserve  the  others.  The  misfortune 
is,  that  the  pine-grower  does  not  feel  his  own  life  in 
danger  wliile  his  trees  are  gradually  perishing,  and  so 
can  not  steel  his  mind  to  the  requisite  use  of  the  axe. 
TVe  think  it  possible,  to  arrange  a  small  pinetum  so 
that  when  the  sorrowful  period  of  extirpation  has  ar- 
rived, sucli  trees  as  P.  nobilis^  Deodara^  Douglasii^ 
Atlaniica^  Lanibertiana^  Benihamiana^  etc.,  might  be 
left  in  their  glory,  at  well-spaced  intervals ;  while  P. 
Canadensis^  Abies^  Picea,  Cemhra^  and  other  of  the 
commoner  sorts  might  be  swept  away.  "We  question,. 
however,  whether  the  actual  planter  would  ever  have 
the  heart  to  carry  out  such  a  plan.  Another  alterna- 
tive is  to  scatter  the  Conifers,  in  separate  groups, 
through  the  grounds,  as  a  main  part  of  the  evergreen 
trees  of  the  place.  Pines  of  varied  character  are  not 
so  deficient  in  calmness  and  breadth  of  efiect,  as  are 
most  deciduous  trees  in  similar  circumstances.  Or 
they  might  be  so  distributed  as  to  compose  what  may 
be  termed  a  shrubbery  pinetum ;  that  is,  they  might 
be  grouped  on  lawns,  with  the  gi'oups  at  distances 
suitable  for  trees  and  shrubs  from  fifteen  to  twenty- 
five  feet  high,  so  as  to  form  a  shrubbery  much  more 
interesting  than  those  planted  in  the  usual  common- 
place way.  The  Pinaceos^  even  when  only  a  few  feet 
in  height,  have  forms  which,  in  combination  with  their 
evergreen  foliage,  exhibit  a  most  decided  character  at 
all  seasons.  The  shrubbery  pinetum  is  an  interesting 
decoration,  not  only  for  small  residences,  but  for  more 
extensive  pleasure-grounds  in  the  higher  parts  of  the 
country,  where  many  shi*nbs  do  not  thrive;  but  in  this 
IG 


S^2  PAKKS    AND    PLEASfRE-G  ROUNDS. 

case,  the  selection  must  be  made  from  the  hardier 
species  of  pines. 

Where  a  piece  of  unoccupied  ground  can  not  be 
allotted  as  space  for  a  regular  and  formal  pinetum, 
constructed  on  scientific  principles,  a  consideraV>le  col- 
lection of  pines  maj  be  formed  in  the  woods,  in  which 
much  scenic  beauty  raaj  be  displayed,  and  all  the 
interest  arising  from  individual  specimens  may  be  pre- 
served. This  plan  can  be  most  easily  and  successfully 
executed  when  the  trees,  already  j)lanted,  have  not 
attained  a  greater  age  than  twenty  or  thirty  years. 
When  the  wuods  are  older,  much  wider  spaces  must 
be  cleared  out.  In  either  case,  however,  a  sufficient 
number  of  the  old  trees  must  be  removed  to  allow  to 
the  new  groups  or  individual  plants  a  suitable  breadth 
of  air  and  light  from  above.  When  this  is  not  attended 
to,  the  young  trees  will  be  excessively  drawn  up,  and 
so  lose  their  natural  characteio.  For  the  same  reason, 
the  old  trees  should  be  early,  but  gradually  thinned 
out,  in  order  that  the  pines  may  be  inured  to  the  cli- 
raate  of  their  position.  To  insure  success,  the  ground 
should  be  trenched,  to  prepare  it  for  the  reception  of 
the  plants,  and  to  cut  off  the  roots  of  such  of  the  old 
trees  as  are  likely  to  interfere  with  the  new  comers. 
A  little  fresh  soil,  also,  employed  in  planting,  will  be 
advantageous.  If  large  pits  are  opened  and  filled  up 
with  new  soil,  the  directions  given  above  must  be  fol- 
lowed. We  are  disposed  to  think  that  a  pinetum  in 
the  woods,  when  well  executed,  is  one  of  the  most  pro- 
pitious arrangements  for  the  growth  of  the  young 
])ines.  and  among  the  most  graceful  in  point  of  scenic 
character  that  can  be  formed. 

Note. — With  our  recent  acquisitions  on  tlie  Pacific 


NATIO^'AL    ARBOIIETUM    AND    PIXETUM.  363 

coast,  the  United  States  might  boast  a  pinetuni  more 
comprehensive  in  variety,  and  iniposing  in  character, 
than  any  country  on  tlie  ghobe.  In  a  central  position, 
%vith  a  variety  of  soil,  and  under  skillful  management, 
it  could  embrace  the  evergreens  of  almost  every  known 
land.  Our  general  government  can  do  nothing  better 
to  advance  our  progress  in  vegetable  physiology,  than 
by  its  authority,  and  under  a  liberal  appropriation,  to 
establish  a  National  arboretum,  and  pinetum,  near 
"Washington,  which  shall  be  creditable  to  its  munifi- 
cence, and  show  the  vast  forest  wealth  which  our 
countrj'  may  contain.  It  would  be  a  work  of  enduring 
beauty  and  usefulness,  as  creditable  to  the  wisdom  of 
our  national  legislature  as  indicative  of  the  increasing 
good  taste  of  the  people. — Ed. 


1  N  D  E  X . 


American  garden,  91 

Approach,  52.  Direction  of,  55. 
Site  of  entrance  of,  5G.  Line 
tlirongli  the  Park,  GO.  Gates 
on,  63.  Ttumination  of,  Gl. 
Roadway  of,  G5.  Dcconitioii  of, 
G7.     Villa,  271. 

Approach,  the  Fine,  70. 

Araucari'i,  317. 

Arboretum,  3U3.     General  Idea  of, 

305.  Scientific    treatment    of, 

306.  Principles  of  arrangement, 
308.  Synopsis  of  orders  and 
genera,  309.  Conspectus,  319. 
Application  of  principles,  322. 
Transference  of  system  to  the 
ground,  323.  Decorative  treat- 
ment, 326.  Soils  and  surfaces, 
328.  Arboretum  in  the  pleas- 
ure-grounds, 330.  In  the  woods, 
331. 

Artificial  style,  131. 

Ash,  138.     Weeping  a.sh.  149. 

Avenue,  69,  132. 

Beech,  139. 

Belts,  127. 

Birch,  weeping,  147. 

Biota,  333. 

Botanic    Gardens,    231.      Special 

])urposes   of,   233.      Laying-out 

of,  237. 


Botanical  Museum,  236. 

Callitris,  338. 

Cedar  of  Lebanon,  139,  343;  of 
Mount  Atlas,  343.     Deodar,  141. 

Cejtltalotaxvs,  319. 

Chamcccifjiaris,  339. 

Chestnut,  Spanish,— IIu;s.>,  139. 

Circles,  127. 

Clump,  117. 

Colors,  Table  of,  153.  Variatio.i 
of,  154.    Of  trees  in  winter,  155. 

Colorsin  the  Pinetura,  337,  359.     " 

ConseJ-vatory,  45,  2C8. 

Cn'ptomcria,  340. 

Ci'.nniiKjhamia,  34o. 

Ctiy,ressus,  Species  of,  339. 

Cypress,  upright,  146,  339.  Clii- 
nese  weejnng,  148. 

Dotting  system,  123- 

Deodar,  141. 

Elm,  English,  and  Scotch  orWycb, 
139. 

Educational  Institutions,  gardens 
of,  235. 

Evergreens,  planting  and  trans- 
planting of,  177. 

Fences,  184.  Boundary,  185.  In- 
ternal, 185.  Pleasure-ground, 
187.  Malleable  iron,  187.  Sunk 
fence,  188.  Walla  and  hedges, 
189. 


zee 


INDEX. 


Firs  in  ihki  Pitietum,  340.      Forms 

of,  142,  365. 
Fitzroya,  339. 

Flower-garden,   85.      Site   of,   8*). 
Ground-color  of.  86.     I'arlerres 
in,    88.      Mixed   flower-garden, 
93.  •  Artlstical    decoration,    94. 
Shelter  of,  97. 
Forms  of  single  trees,  137.     Broad 
round-headed,  138.  Conical,  142. 
Upright  or  oblongated,  146.  Pen- 
dulous, 147.     In   the  rinetum, 
337. 
Forms  of  trees  in  combination,  157. 
Round-headed,    157.       Conical, 
158.     Intermingling  of,  160. 
Forcing  garden,  212. 
Forcing  houses,  213. 
Fruit  garden,  211. 
Gates,  style  of,  58.     On  the  prin- 
cipal approach,  63. 
Glyptostrobns,  340. 
Green-houses,  214,268. 
Ground,    natural     character,    109. 

Acquired  character.  111. 
Group,  116. 

Grouping  of  plantations,  121. 
Head  of  lake,  194. 
Holly,  142. 

Horticultural  Gardens,  242.     Lay- 
ing-out of,  245.    Museum,  249. 
House,  13.    Site  of,  14.    Shelter  of, 
20.     Position  in  the  park,  22. 
Style  of,  28,  265.     Arrangement 
of  interior,  42.    Supply  of  wa- 
ter for,  19.     Drainage,  18. 
Ilex,  140. 
Islands,  194. 
Jet  fountains,  199. 
Junipei'us,  337. 
Kitchen-garden,  relations   of,  203. 


Site,  2<I4.     Driiinaga,  206.     Soil, 
207.      Form,   208.     Walls,  210. 
Villa,  276- 
Lake,  artificial,  I'J- 
Larch,  145.     In  Piuetuin,  343. 
Landscape    gardening     compared 
with    landscaj)e    painting,  287. 
Its    processes    partly    tentative, 
'  293. 
Landscape,  composition  of,  in  the 

pleasure-grounds,  75, 
Laurels,  83,  85. 
Lawns,  formation  of,  102. 
Libocedrus,  338. 
Lime-tree,  139. 
Lodge,  58. 
Microcachryu,  348. 
Mass  of  Wood,  117. 
Oak,  139.     Evergreen,  140. 
Offices  attached  to  the  hou.se,  49. 
Ornamental  characters  of  trees,  135. 
Of  single  trees,  137.     Of  trees  in 
combination,  157.     In  the  Pine- 
turn,  337. 
Park,  105.    Unity  of,  106.    Natural 
character   of    the    ground,    109. 
Acquired  character.  111.     Plant- 
ing "in,    112.      Surfaces    to   be 
planted,  113.      Arrangement  of 
woods,  116. 
Park,  public.  215,    Park  villa,  284. 
Parterre,  88. 

Pines,  forms  of.  143.  In  the  Pine- 
turn,  337. 
Pinetum,  333.  Endlicher's  ar- 
rangement, 335.  Synopsis  of 
genera,  336.  List  of  genera  and 
species,  with  remarks,  337.  Ef- 
fect of  climate  on,  350.     Soils, 

352.  Early  cultivation  of  plants, 

353.  Pot  culture,  354.    Planting 


y 


IXDEX. 


307 


of,  356.  Pnining  of  pines, 
357.  Decorative  treatment,  353. 
Grouping,  358.  DistribiUioii  of 
colors,  359.     Lawns,  360. 

Pinus  Abies,  341.  Cnlrm,  343. 
Cemhra,  3M.  Lari^,  343.  Pi- 
naster, 346.  Pinca,  347.  Fscu- 
do-Strohus.  344.  Strobus,  344. 
Tsuga,  340. 

Plans,  utility  of,  296. 

Plant-houses,  91,  238,  248. 

Plantations,  outlines  of,  125. 

Planting,  166.  Preparation  ol  tlie 
gi-QUnd,  166.  Of  forest  trees, 
168.  Pitting,  169.  Of  ever- 
greens, 177. 

Pleasure-grounds,  73.  Planting  in, 
99.     Walks  in,  100.     Villa,  281. 

Podocarpns,  348 

Poplars,  146,  161 

Pruning,  170. 

Public  park,  215.  Site  of,  218. 
Laying-out  of,  219. 

Rivers,  artificial,  198. 

Roads,  65,  260.  Through  planta- 
tions, 168.     Secondary  roads,  66. 

Rockworks,  9G. 

Rosary,  90. 

Salisburla,  349. 

Saxe-Gothea,  348. 

Seclusion,  112,  273. 

Sequoia,  348. 

Shelter  of  bouse,  20. 

Site  of  the  house,  14:  1 9,  25,  28. 

Stable-con i-t,  49. 

Stairs,  83. 

Statues,  95. 

Street  gardens,  228. 

Sycamore  or  Maple,  138. 

Synopsis  of  Natural  Orders  and 
geuera  for  Arboretum,  309. 


Tabic  of  teini-.craturt's  of  soil,  181. 

Taxodium,  310. 

Taxus,  349. 

Terraces,  78.  U'alls  of,  80.  Grass 
slopes  of,  8 1.  Banks  and  shrubs 
on,  82.  Stairs  of,  83.  Upjior 
■  surfaces  of,  84. 

Thinning  of  trees,  172. 

Thuia,  339. 

Thuiopsis,  339. 

Torreya,  349. 

Transplanting  of  trees,  173.  Of 
evergreens,  177. 

Unity  of  the  park,  100. 

Vases,  84,  94. 

Villa,  255.  Locality  of,  257.  Site, 
259.  Roads  to,  260.  Position 
of  the  house,  261.  Style  and 
aiTangeraent  of  the  houee,  265. 
Laying-out  of  the  grounds,  272. 
Seclusion,  273.  The  approacli, 
274.  Kitchen-garden,  276.  Trcea 
and  shrubs,  278.  "Water,  280. 
The  leading  varieties  of  villa 
scenery,  281.  The  pleasure- 
ground  villa,  231.  The  park 
villa,  284. 

Walks,  83, 87, 100.  Formation,  101. 

Water,  supply  of,  for  the  house.  If). 

Water,  ornamental,  191.  Artificial 
lake,  191.  Islands  in,  194. 
Head  of  lake,  194.  Artificial 
rivers,  198.  Jet  fountain.s,  199. 
Water  as  an  ornament  in  ^mblic 
parks,  222.     Villa,  280. 

Willow,  weeping,  147. 

Wire  fences,  64,  187,  285. 

Yew,  140.  Irish  yew,  146.  In 
Pinetuni,  349. 

Zoological  gardeus,^2'l. 


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Fohnston's  (J.  F.  W.i  Elemenis  cf  Aijricultural  Chemistry 

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Smith's  (C.  H.  J.)  Landscape  Gardening",  Parks  and  Pleasure 

Grounds.  With  Practical  Notes  on  Country  Eesideiices,  Villss,  Publle  Parks,  .ind 
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ITorton's  (John  Pj  Elements  of  Scientific  Agriculture; 

Or,  the  C»;ine.\iou  between  Scieiice  and  the  Art  of  Prfctieal  Farm  ng.  (.Prize  E^fay 
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Nash's  (J.  A.)  Progressive  Farmer. 

A  Scientific  Treali.-e  on  Agricultural  Cliiiiii-trv,  the  Geology  of  Agriculture,  on  Plants 
and  Ar.iinals,  Manures  and  Soils  applied  to  Practical  Agriculture;  with  a  Catechi.'in 
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Chorlton'3  (Wni.)  Cold  Grapsry. 

Fmui  direct  Anifrican  Practice:  being  a  concise  and  dctai'ed  Treatise  on  the  Cultiva- 
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Allen  (J.  Fisk^  on  the  Culture  of  the  Grape. 

A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Culture  and  Tn  a!m-nt  of  the  Grape  Vine,  embracing  Its 
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Eoare  (Clement)  on  the  Grape  Vine. 

A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Cultivation  of  the  Grape  Vino  on  Open  Walls,  wUh  a 
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QTysteries  of  Bee-keeping  Explained ; 

Being  a  Complete  Analysis  of  the  whole  subject,  consisting  of  the  Natural  Urstory  of 
Bees;  Directions  for  Obtaining  the  greatest  amount  of  Pure  Surplus  Honey  with  the 
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American  Bee-keeper's  Manual; 

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managing  this  Insect,  through  every  branch  if  its  Culture;  the  result  of  many  years' 
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The  Rose; 

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Eose  in  all  Sea.«ons;  with  a  List  of  Choice  and  Approved  Varieties,  adapted  to  the 
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Buist's  (Robert)  American  Flower-Garden  Directory ; 

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Soil,  Propagating,  Planti.ng.  Pruning,  Training,  and  Fruiting  the  Grape  Vine.  Price 
fl  25. 

Buists'  (Robert)  Family  Kitchen  Gardener; 

Conta'ning  Plain  and  AccurKte  Descriptions  of  all  the  different  Specie:'  and  Varieties 
of  Cu'inary  Vegetables,  with  their  Botanical,  Eng'ish,  French,  and  German  names, 
slt>hal)et:cal!y  arranged,  and  the  best  mode  of  cultivating  them  in  the  garden  or  under 
glass;  al-«>,  Defcript'oiis  and  Character  of  the  most  Select  Fruits,  their  Manasement, 
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/ 


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